Picture This
by beepunny
Summary: 'Adulting' is just around the corner for Evie Redlin. A major in journalism at the University of Insomnia, Evie pretty much has a plan set up upon graduation. The majority of her college life has been on the mellow side until she meets a certain ball of sunshine who spices her life with spontaneity and new adventures.
1. Hello Sunshine

**Alright I'm starting a horrible habit of starting new stories without finishing others. But this idea wouldn't go away and I just** _ **needed**_ **to write out the plotline (I'm currently on chapter 8 rip me).**

 **Note: This is an AU where everything doesn't go to shit because I ain't accepting the fact that our boys have went through...a less than ideal ending. So we have our boys going to college (except for Ignis and Gladio) and this is mainly going to have a slice-of-life feel to it. Rating may change in later chapters.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1

Hello Sunshine

Her cup of coffee had been severely depleted within the first fifteen minutes in the café. All day her nose had been buried in books, papers, and screens. This particular semester at the University of Insomnia was even more tolling for Evie due to all the events that were scheduled, and her team had to cover a number of happenings that were going to transpire on campus before the submission date. Sometimes she wondered if being section editor was really worth it.

She was skimming over an article one of the students submitted to her, making sure that it was polished enough to send to the editor in chief. Evie rolled out her neck and let out an appreciative sigh before going back to her laptop screen.

The café was located just outside the gates of campus. Out of all the places that she could go to study or write articles for the campus' paper, this was her favorite spot. It wasn't too loud or quiet, and personally the ambiance gave her more motivation to actually get her shit done.

Her stomach rumbled. Guess living solely off of caffeine wasn't enough for her. She sighed and reached over to her bag to fish out some cash for a quick snack. Evie hopped off her stool and stood in line, trying to get a good view of the menu that hung on the wall. As she was glazing over the snacks something caught her attention.

In her peripheral vision she saw a tuft of bright blonde hair that clashed against the dark walls of the café. She let her eyes wander out of curiosity and found a guy standing to the side, his gaze somewhat aligned with hers. Evie blinked and casted her eyes away trying to avoid the awkward stare off. Ah, who was she kidding? Was he even looking at her? She didn't get a good look at him so maybe he was just staring in her general direction.

Evie returned her attention to the menu and when she reached the cashier she ordered a simple bagel and chocolate muffin. When she got her food she went back to her table and broke off a piece of the chocolate muffin. During those five minutes of getting her food she couldn't help but notice that same guy hadn't moved from his spot. His bright hair wasn't that hard to miss.

Just before she put in her earbuds a hand tapped on the table. She looked up to see Mr. Blondie with a small smile on his face.

"Uh, hi there," he said with a sheepish grin. "Sorry to bother you. Can I ask you something?"

Evie blinked. "Um sure?" Normally if some random guy walked up to her she would've shrunk back, but his blue eyes and the light dusting of freckles on his face gave him a soft look. This guy looked like he smiled a lot too.

"Could I take a picture of you?" He asked. When she didn't respond he quickly added: "It's for my portfolio. The lighting is perfect right now―if you don't want me to that's totally fine." Mr. Blondie tilted his head slightly, eagerly waiting for her answer.

She straightened up, bewildered. "I guess?" She said slowly. Evie saw his grin get wider. It even looked like his eyes were smiling at her.

"Great! Thank you so much," he exclaimed and rifled through a camera bag that was slung over his shoulder. He took out the camera that looked more expensive than her textbooks and took a few steps back. "You don't need to do anything special. Just stay right where you are and pretend I'm not here." He peered through the lens and Evie put her back on the guy.

Okay, how could she pretend that he wasn't there? It wasn't like she was constantly asked to take a picture of. Evie awkwardly reached for her coffee and took a sip, 100% aware that some total stranger was taking pictures of her. Wouldn't she be more creeped out about this?

A few minutes ticked away and she heard the shutter go off a few times. Evie did her best to get her attention back on the article she was reviewing. She ran a hand through her short wavy strawberry blonde hair, stopping at the back of her neck. _Is it over yet? How long does it take for someone to take a picture?_ She took in a breath and shoved the sudden photoshoot on the back burners to actually dive into the article. Evie wiped off any possible muffin crumbs from her mouth while she was reading the third paragraph and then his voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Alright, all set." He said and nodded appreciatively at the screen of his camera. He took a few steps forward, scrolling through all the photos he took.

"Can I see?" She inquired. The guy looked up at her and gave her a guilty smile.

"Sure! But uh, actually I'm gonna make a few edits―not that there's anything wrong with you! No, you were great," he insisted, as if deathly afraid to insult her, "actually perfect." He cleared his throat to regain his composure followed by a light laugh. "I'm just going to edit the color scheme and stuff to make it look nicer." He stood on her left side and held the camera in front of her.

It was a simple shot of her reading the article with her hand in front of her mouth. She couldn't really make out her face but she liked it. "Oh, I like that one." She nodded, soaking in the image. He fumbled to put the camera away as Evie gave him an amused grin. He seemed friendly enough. "Well when the photo is ready do you mind if I see the finished product?"

"Yeah of course! You'll be the first person to see it." He put a hand in his pocket. "If you want I can give you my number so I can let you know when I'm done?"

 _Lyra will never believe me if I told her that this actually happened._ She let the thought sit in her head before picking her phone up from the table. She opened a new contact tab and handed her phone to him. He quickly put in his numbers and gave it back to her. She quirked an eyebrow at the name with a smirk to match.

"'Prompto'? That's a first."

"Yeah. I'm probably the only Prompto you'll ever know," he laughed. "So what's your name?"

"Evie."

"Hey well it was nice to meet you―" his eyes flickered over to her laptop screen and he leaned in closer, interest piqued. "Ehhh, you go to U of I?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I work the the school's paper."

"Wow! Small world. I'm majoring in photography." Prompto stated and took a seat across from her. It occurred to her that he had a half empty cup of a bright orange smoothie.

Evie closed her laptop to get a better view of him. He was leaning over the table, arms on top. He was just beaming.

 _How can someone be so happy? He's probably never had a bad day in his life._ "So if you're in photography how come you aren't working for the paper?"

"I'm more of an _impromptu_ kind of person." It was like he was just waiting for her to catch the joke. She rolled her eyes and laughed.

" _Wow._ Very smooth."

"Ah! I made you laugh!" He pointed at her. "Score one for Prompto!"

 _Gods, is this guy for real?_ "So then what kind of photos do you take then?"

He hummed thoughtfully and took a sip of his drink. "Urban backdrops. Candid shots. Anything that catches my eye really. Oh! And animals too. Dogs and chocobos are the cutest things in the world."

"Chocobos? You've been up close to one?"

"Hah! Up close? My friends and I rented a few during the summer." Figures he would be the type to. "What about you hmm?"

"Never seen one in real life. I've lived in the capital all my life."

"Ehhh? You need to start exploring! I've been to _so_ many places. I bet you'd love chocobos when you actually see them. They're super soft not to mention they can run pretty fast. My pal Noct fell in love with this one black chocobo. It was so tiny and _cute_!"

Evie couldn't help but smile at Prompto's enthusiasm. She couldn't stop grinning and her face was starting to hurt. She took of another piece of her muffin and popped it in her mouth. She waited after she swallowed. "Who knows, I might just do that." Something clicked in her brain. "Noct?" She repeated. "As in _Prince_ Noctis?"

"Oh―" he paused. "Yeah! I've been friends with him since middle school."

"No _way_. I can't believe it. How's that like? Being friends with a royal."

He shrugged. "There's nothing different about it. He's living outside the palace so it's not like he's surrounded by a million servants or whatever."

"So does he really go to U of I? How come I never see him then?"

"He's probably napping somewhere," he laughed. "Besides he takes night classes."

"Why? Can he not wake up early?"

"He gets up around noon, unless if someone's making food. The guy sleeps like a _rock_. Someone can bust through the wall and he'll be sound asleep." He looked like as if that actually happened. Evie let out a silent chuckle.

"I would kill to be a heavy sleeper. The smallest sound and I'm wide awake."

"When we were traveling last summer our schedule kept on getting put back because we couldn't wake him up faster. I actually have a picture of my friend Gladio and I stack stuff on him."

If Evie wasn't drinking her coffee she sure would've choked on it. She let out a laugh and covered her mouth. Prompto laughed with her and he leaned back in his chair.

* * *

It was one of those rare moments that Evie lost track of time. She had been sitting with Prompto talking for a few hours about the most random things. He was jumping from one conversation to another, telling her stories of his adventures with his friends while he occasionally asked about her life. Her 'adventures' paled in comparison but he insisted that her stories were just as interesting.

Prompto had showed a few pictures he took and sure enough she saw a picture of Noctis feeding the small chocobo chick. Hey, Prompto wasn't joking when he said the chocobo was adorable but she was amused after learning the fact that Noctis felt a particular connection with the chocobo chick.

Evie finally broke her green eyes from Prompto's to look out the window. The sun was nearly setting. "Oh wow. It's getting late." She commented.

He turned in his seat. "Wow! Time flew!" He exclaimed. Their drinks had been long forgotten and she felt a little bad that her quarter-eaten muffin had been standing on its lonesome with its bagel friend on top of her laptop. "Sorry, I was just having so much fun talking." He said and stretched.

"You don't have to apologize. The feeling's mutual." Evie looked at her phone. "But I think I need to get going." She gave him a guilty look but he brushed it off with a wave of his hand.

"Hey we have our own things to do. I totally get ya. Sorry I distracted you from your article."

"Eh, I needed a break from reading anyways." She said and started putting her things in her backpack. Evie quickly got a small to-go bag from the counter to put her snacks in and got out of her chair, pushing it in. Prompto followed suit and they tossed their drinks.

Evie left the café and had the door open for Prompto and the two walked down the sidewalk back to campus. "So are you at the dorms?" Evie asked.

"Nah, I'm in the student apartments," he pointed in the direction of them. "It's not super close to campus but it's cheaper."

"Whatever saves money is good." She offered and he nodded. They reached a crosswalk and they waited for the light to change.

"Guess we gotta separate here. My place is this way," he pointed. "I hope we can see each other more."

"Yeah. I mean, I still need to see when you finish my picture." Evie said. The light finally changed. "Do you have classes tomorrow?"

"Nope. That's my day off. Maybe we'll see each other on campus later. Text me!" He waved as he started to go down the adjacent crosswalk.

Evie went back to her dorm and just continued the evening with the usual routine. Finish up on possible homework, watch tv, maybe a movie. Despite her surprisingly pleasant conversations with Prompto she never ending up texting him later that day. Blame her forgetfulness on that.

* * *

 **So this was my first FFXV fanfic and I really hope you enjoyed this first chapter! I love Prompto (my ever perfect ball of sunshine). Ah who am I kidding, I love all my chocobros (not as much with Noctis idk why** _ **maybe it's because he's so much like me and I can't imagine dating myself because I'd probably go insane)**_ **. And forgive Evie―she didn't mean to not text him back. Give me your thoughts in a review!**

 **-Jen**


	2. Puns and Dogs

**This could easily be my favorite chapter I've written...like ever.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Puns and Dogs

"You dork get off of me!" Evie laughed as she limped to the kitchen with a 3 year old latched at her ankle. She was babysitting her nephew on her day off from classes and boy did she love little kids. She wriggled free and gasped at her nephew Lucas. "I'm free!" She teased. He just gave out his usual evil cackle and started waddling towards her.

That's what her day consisted of. Running around the house with a cute bumbling toddler trying to grab onto her. She wished her homework was as cute as Lucas. The dog however wasn't cute. He managed to chew up 3 more of Lucas' toys and nearly tore a hole in her sweater when he got too excited and started jumping on her.

Evie rounded the corner (the kitchen was essentially in a box with two doorways at adjacent walls) and scooped up her nephew. They laughed and Lucas wrapped his tiny legs around Evie. "Are you crazy?" She asked, poking his belly.

He giggled and pushed her hand away with a cheeky "Yeeeaah!"

She loved kids but they were so _draining._ She had no idea how her sister does it. The exhaustion didn't settle in until she finally got off from nephew-duty a few hours later. "Sorry I got home so late. It was really busy at the office," her sister, Brielle, sighed as she took off her shoes at the front door. Lucas was conked out on the couch, snoring softly.

"Oh it's no problem. Busy day?" Evie picked at the shedded dog hairs off her sweater and jeans. She had put the dog in his kennel a few minutes ago.

"We had a few complaints. The new intern can't organize for shit so we had to reorganize _everything_." Her sister let out a tired groan and fished out money for Evie from her bag. "Thanks for your help." She said and handed her the money.

"Happy to help," Evie took the money and went over to her backpack that was sitting at the dinner table, which had the remnants of reheated pizza littered on one of the placements, and filed the money in her wallet. "Let me know when you need help again. I'm usually free on Saturdays."

"I will. Definitely."

Evie hid her yawn and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Alright then. See you later." She gave her sister a hug and left her apartment. Brielle lived in the heart of Insomnia, so campus wasn't that far away. It kinda sucked because Evie really wanted to hail a cab, but she didn't like the idea of paying for a car ride covering a couple blocks.

She always liked the city though. The hustle and bustle, the crowds, the cars, and the massive cranes that sat atop unfinished skyscrapers. Each new building tried to be better than the last. You could say that she was biased considering the fact that she lived in the Crown City all her life.

Evie emerged from the elevator, pulling out her phone to check the time. She still had enough time to run to the café and grab something to pep herself up! She pushed on the glass doors and continued her small walk to the café without any thought.

The café was running to a crawl when it came to customers. Most of the tables were wiped clean while two others were being taken. She yawned again. _Coffee. I need coffee._

When it was her turn she ordered what she needed and waited behind some other guy for her drink. She let her eyes wander from her phone for half a second when she saw a familiar spiked hairstyle. It took a while for her to process the fact that both of them were staring at each other.

"Oh hey!" Prompto exclaimed, turning to fully face her. "It's nice to see you again!"

 _Was he standing in front of me all this time?_ Evie did her best to drop her resting tired bitch face and threw him the best smile she could muster. "Yeah! So...what are you getting?"

"Just a smoothie." He shrugged and had his hands in his back pockets. "Did I uh...put my number in wrong in your phone? If you tried to text me I didn't get anything."

Her mind went blank for a second. Well damn. Now she felt like the worst person in the world. It had been two days since she met him and within those 48 hours she completely forgot the existence of his contact in her phone. "Oh my god I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, "I'm really bad at texting…I forgot you only gave me your number." She said pathetically.

The look of worry that was in his eyes quickly vanished with a nod of understanding and relief. "That's good to hear," he laughed and scratched the back of his head, "I thought you didn't like me or something. I wanted to text you about that one picture too but I couldn't."

She furrowed her brows. "What? No! You were fun to talk with. It wasn't like I was going to trash your number or anything."

"Your drink is ready!" One of the workers called out from behind the counter. She had, what Evie assumed was, Prompto's smoothie and Evie's coffee. They both thanked her and the exhausted college student took a sip too fast and choked on the hot liquid. He peered at her curiously from his smoothie.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she coughed, "drank too fast." She wrinkled her nose at the taste. It almost tasted burnt but she didn't feel like bothering the poor workers to brew her another cup since they were about to close. "Oh before I forget," she tapped on Prompto's contact and shot him a quick text. He reacted to his phone buzzing in his pocket and took it out. "Here. Now you can occasionally remind me to text you every now and then."

"Pfft, you don't have to worry about me spamming you. Not for the first few hours at least." He threw her a half smile and held out his phone. "Now, smile!"

Evie was too caught off guard to crack out a facial expression. Thankfully her mouth (no doubt was set in a frown) was covered by her coffee cup. Prompto grinned at his screen and showed the picture to Evie as if he was holding a trophy. "Good?" It was a picture of her, eyes wide in shock, bottom half of her face was blocked by her drink. "Don't worry it's just gonna be your profile pic." He explained. "Here, you do the same!" Within seconds Evie got the alert on her phone and she rolled her eyes at the picture. Of _course_ he had a good selfie. His goofy grin from the picture matched the one in real life. Not to mention his hair was basically perfect compared to her tangled mess.

"But how come you have the better selfie?" She squinted at him, but he just kept on grinning. He hummed to himself and took a sip of his drink.

Eventually they got kicked out of the café. They stood under one of the lamp posts with a conveniently placed bench. It wasn't too cold out yet, but the warm autumn air was going to get replaced soon with bitter winter.

Evie picked up another stray dog hair from her pant leg. "Have you had a dog before?" She inquired, flicking off the hair. She remembered that Prompto had an affinity towards animals if she weren't mistaken.

"Ahh, kinda? There was this dog that was hurt in front of my house. I felt bad for the little guy so I took him in, but it turned out he already had an owner." He was lounging back on the bench, arm resting on the back of it.

"So you found the owner then?"

"More like the dog ran away to its owner. I was so freaked out, but I got a letter from the owner thanking me for taking care of her dog." He paused as he thought fondly of the memory. "Turns out it was Lady Lunafreya's dog."

Evie nodded, shocked yet impressed. How come this guy knew all the important people? " _Wow_. Well that story tops all my adventures." She muttered the last part.

"Adventures? Like what?"

"I can't even call them adventures. I'm pretty boring."

"Nah," his disbelief at that was evident and tilted his chin, "c'mon. There's gotta be something." He probed. "What did you do today?"

"I babysat my nephew. They have a dog and I think I'll have to run my clothes through the laundry twice. Told you, I'm not that exciting."

"That sounds like fun."

She sniffed. "Says the guy who rode chocobos and traveled everywhere in the kingdom of Lucis."

"But you work for the paper! I bet you have some juicy stories and you're just not telling me." He defended with a pout. A _pout_. She had half a mind to sneak a snapshot of that but she decided against it.

"I'm a section editor for a _college newspaper_ , not some tabloid. Our newspaper is as dry as my humor." She paused. "Or lack thereof."

Prompto snorted and reeled his head back trying to hold back a laugh. Evie couldn't help but smile at his reaction.

"I swear I'm not this funny." She added.

"You gotta give yourself more credit. You should write jokes for the paper!"

"Something tells me you'd be better at that than I would. Considering the fact that within the first few minutes of talking you come out with a pun straight off the bat."

He pursed his lips put up his hand in acceptance. "A conversation needs a pun in it every now and then."

* * *

Their conversation didn't drag on as long as it did the last time since Evie was feeling the fatigue setting in, so she figured that she should make it to her dorm before she officially collapsed. They went on their separate ways and upon arrival at her dorm her friend, Lyra, looked up from her desk.

"Hey girl. Did your sister get home late?" She asked. Her maroon hair was up in a towel. Evie downed the rest of her coffee and tossed it in the nearby trashcan and missed. She sighed and shuffled to the cup to properly dispose it.

"She did but I got off around 6."

"Then what were you doing for _four_ hours?"

"I was...talking with someone." She said as she put down her back and flopped onto her bed unceremoniously

Lyra turned in her seat, head tilted with curiosity. "Oooh?" Her voice squeaked with intrigue. "Do I know them?" Lyra knew her friend well enough to know that Evie wasn't the type of person to chat hours on end (excluding herself of course).

"Maybe?" Evie rolled onto her back and fished out her phone. She let out a yawn. Bigger this time. "I met him at the café before."

Lyra immediately scooted up to her faster than she could breathe. "'Him'? You saw him before?! Why didn't you tell me? What's his name?"

"You know too much."

"I only met him one other time! And that was two days ago." She explained.

"Well he must be pretty decent enough for you to talk with for _four hours_."

"He gave me his number the first day."

Her roommate slumped back in her chair, flabbergasted. "Woman, why don't you tell me these things?!"

"Well it's not like I'm gonna just bring it up out of nowhere!"

Her friend put her arms on her thighs, hunched over. "Do you at least have a picture of him?"

"Yes."

"Well," she held out her hand, "let me see!" Evie rolled her eyes heavenward and opened her phone, showing Lyra Prompto's selfie that was five-times better than what she could ever muster. Lyra blinked. " _Damn_ E! He's really cute! His freckles are killing me―"

"Happy now?"

"Tell me his _name_!"

Evie's plan of going to bed as soon as possible was halted abruptly as the interrogation continued. Evie purposefully avoided telling her the story that she completely forgot Prompto was in her phone and didn't officially text him until days later (Lyra would never let that go) and tried her best to endure the incessant squealing and smiling from her friend. Obviously she was happy for her to meet someone new, but mixed with the exhaustion that was taking a toll on her body Evie really wasn't in the mood for Lyra's poking and prodding.

Evie finally got ready for bed and climbed under the sheets. Now on her stomach she picked up her phone from her bed and curiously went to her chat with Prompto. Maybe she should text him? To make up for accidentally ignoring him? Ahh, it was late, maybe he wasn't even up now. Lyra's investigation went well into midnight, and now her friend was taking a late night shower so the room's lights were turned off except for the lamp on Evie's nightstand.

' _I should add something new to my story list: my friend was nonstop interrogating me about talking with you. The plot thickens'_

She reached over to plug in her charger and then her screen lit up. Sure enough it was Prompto.

' _Omg was she keeping you up? Sorry bout that I knew you were tired :c and hey your list will only get better ;)'_

Evie was about to respond but Prompto beat her to it.

' _Would you like a pun?'_

She rolled her eyes.

' _Sure'_

His response was immediate like he already typed out his reply and his thumb was just hovering over the send button.

' _Ok ok― what kind of dog doesn't bark? A HUSH PUPPY'_

Evie suppressed a groan.

' _Oh my god...do you have a collection of jokes in your phone or something'_

' _I meeeaaaaan, I can send you the whole album if you want~'_

' _Please no. I need to go to bed'_

' _NO WAIT I HAVE ONE MORE'_

' _Goodnight prompto'_

Evie had turned her phone on silent and set it on the nightstand before he could supply her with the motherload of puns. Regardless of how cheesy it was, she still smiled. Evie got herself comfortable and closed her eyes, welcoming the sleep she needed.

* * *

 **Prompto could be my spirit animal I freaking love this. I hope you'll take some time to review! (maybe give me a few more puns?) I'll be back with another one!** __ **Oh yeah! Feel free to check out my tumblr, it's the same as my name here. I occasionally post FFXV stuff! And thank you for the previous reviews/favorites/follows! I believe I'm going to be doing one update per week so keep an eye out for the next chapter.**

 **-Jen**


	3. Gourmet Food and Not-Girlfriends

**I'm really glad you guys are liking this story! Thank you so much for your kind reviews they always make me smile when I read them!**

* * *

Chapter 3

Gourmet Food and Not-Girlfriends

Prompto sat back on his rolly chair, staring at the photo on his computer screen. He had been looking at it for a good fifteen minutes and after a series of failed touch-ups, he was stumped. The boy had been working on the pictures he had taken over the past days but he couldn't seem to make this one in particular look the way he wanted it.

It was the picture he took of Evie when they first met at the café. Of course he never expected touch-ups to be this hard, but lo and behold here he was sitting at his desk that was cluttered with plates and cups (not to mention his wall had his personal favorite pictures tacked on).

He was nibbling gently at his fork, wishing he didn't eat his snack so fast.

"Hey, Prompto. You in here?" Noctis' all-too-familiar voice came wafting into his room from the living room. They practically lived at each other's places and always arrived unannounced, but Ignis had been nagging Prompto to actually lock the damn door so 'suspicious people' wouldn't come sauntering in. Of course his efforts have remained fruitless.

"Bedroom." He called out without tearing his eyes from the screen. The dark haired prince meandered to his room within a few minutes and fell onto Prompto's unmade bed with a _fwump_.

Noctis rolled onto his back. "So what are you doing?"

"Trying to edit a picture…" he murmured and clicked on a few things. _Ugh_. The colors didn't seem right, no matter how he placed the saturation and luminescent settings. "Sleep through class again?"

"It was worse than normal. Specs kept on texting me reminders for political meetings this morning. Remind me to set my damn phone on silent." The sleepy prince mumbled, no doubt heading towards a remedial nap.

It was silent in the room for half a moment and Noctis was about to welcome sleep with open arms, but he was jolted awake by his friend's groaning. "Why can I get this right?! I don't know what to doo," he whined and sunk further in his chair.

Noctis sat up, disgruntled. "Then forget about it. Work on a different picture."

"You don't understand! I _really_ like this picture," he turned around and beckoned for his friend enthusiastically, "c'mere Noct! You'll know what I mean."

He pushed himself off the bed and went over to Prompto's desk. He leaned forward and squinted at the bright screen. "Okay be honest: were you being a creeper taking this picture or did you ask her first?" He joked.

Prompto sniffed and poked the fork in Noctis' direction. " _Yes_ , I did ask her first. And she's actually pretty nice."

His friend studied the picture for a while. "Looks fine to me."

"That's what you _always_ say." The blonde protested.

"I dunno man, I'm not the photography major." Prompto only sighed and set his fork down on a nearby plate. "So," his friend continued, turning to lean-sit on the desk, "who is she?"

Prompto didn't notice his friend's little smirk and started messing with the focus settings. "A friend."

"Does she have a name?"

"Evie."

"She looks cute."

"Yeah, you think so too―" Prompto caught himself and no doubt a small blush ran across his freckled face. He blinked and looked at Noctis, who merely chuckled. "Noooct! You're distracting me!"

"You were the one who asked for my opinion," he lifted his hands in defense.

"You have Lunafreya. You can't call some other girl cute!"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with giving other people compliments." Noctis said with a shrug of his shoulders and went back to the bed. "So are you just going to stare at her or are you actually going to work on the photo?"

"Don't you think I've been _trying_ to?"

"Beats me." He rolled onto his side.

It took a while for Prompto to regain his composure after beating the blush from his cheeks. He rested his head on his propped up hand, going back and forth between Evie's picture and a snapshot of a cat sitting next to a small flower that was growing in the cracks of a slab of cement.

When it came to touching up photos he hadn't had a problem with the process, and if he was stuck he would usually leave one photo for another but he couldn't manage to pull away from Evie's picture. To be honest it was quickly crawling up his favorite list, but its journey to the top was deterred thanks to this roadblock of touch-ups. Something was missing. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

He drummed his fingers on the mouse and leaned back frustrated. His phone buzzed on the desk and he fetched it, somewhat surprised to see Evie's name pop up.

 _'What's your stance on group projects?'_

 _'Hmmmm depends on what it is'_

 _He watched the texting indicator._

 _'Ugh. Just some people don't like to pull their own weight'_

 _'This for a class oorrrrr?'_

 _'The paper'_

"Are you texting her?" Noctis' voice was so sudden it made him jump.

"I-I thought you were asleep!" He exclaimed.

"Just about…" he yawned, calming Prompto's fears of more teasing. He felt like if Gladio were here the teasing would be multiplied (not to mention he might get his phone snatched right out of his hands when he wasn't looking).

Prompto watched as Noctis conked out in no less than 1 minute before he went back to send his reply but it seemed that Evie beat him to it.

 _'So what are you doing rn?'_

He tossed a glance at the computer screen and then back at his phone.

 _'Homework T . T halp pls'_

 _'Lol go do your homework. I gotta get to class'_

 _'Aww ok. Have fun :)'_

His eyes lingered on their conversation before he set his phone back on the desk. Prompto finally decided to get up to take his rather embarrassing collection of cups and plates off to the kitchen. Noctis was starting to snore softly. Damn, he was always impressed at how fast his friend could fall asleep.

There was a knock on Prompto's door. The blonde was in the kitchen, jamming out to music through headphones as he was rifling through his rather sad fridge which consisted of pop, _lots_ of leftovers of takeout, and the lone ketchup and mustard bottle in the door's shelf. Prompto hummed to himself and took out a can and popped the tab, completely oblivious to the fact that someone was at the door.

He turned around and nearly dropped his drink when he saw Ignis step inside. (No doubt this made Prompto consider actually locking his door). He took off his headphones and hung them around his neck already knowing why he was here. "Noct's in my room."

"I would have figured as much," Ignis said. In the bend of his jacket-clad arm was a folder of whatever political stuff the royal advisor was assigned to give to Noctis. "I am fortunate enough to know our prince has a habit to come here when he's trying to avoid his responsibilities." Prompto snickered and watched as he made his way to Prompto's room where the sleeping prince resided.

"He just crashed so good luck with waking him up!" He mused.

Ignis pushed up his glasses to thinly mask his annoyance and went on over to the small island in the kitchen. They knew all too well that waking up Noctis would be a feat. Better give him thirty minutes and maybe try to throw him out of bed to have a better chance of getting him to stir.

Prompto was now going through a cupboard to find a snack. At least his kitchen wasn't as sad as Noctis'. Sure they both had a similar stash of junk food galore but Prompto counted the leftover takeout as _food_ food. At least Noct had Mother Hen Ignis to cook him all of the gourmet meals Prompto never could manage to tackle on himself.

"Please don't tell me that this is what you and Noct keep feasting on whenever you two hang out." Ignis squinted at the box of Cheez-its nestled in Prompto's arm while the other held his drink.

He kept munching on his snack and garbled, "Okay. I won't."

Ignis took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly. "To this day I'm surprised you two have yet to contract some sort of disease by eating nothing but sugar." He took a seat and folded his jacket over neatly to hang on the chair next door.

He pursed his lips. "Just because Noct isn't awake doesn't mean you get to nag me instead." Why did it seem like Evie would get along well with Ignis? He let his thoughts wander, thinking if Evie would go along with his spectacled friend and badger him over the small things his did...or if she would be the enabler and get a rise out of Iggy. He couldn't figure her out, but hey he was all for another partner-in-crime. "You could always make something? He's bound to wake up the second you start cooking," he offered.

Ignis nodded wisely and thought for a moment. "That would seem to solve two problems: Noctis can wake up and my mind can be put at ease knowing both of you will have a meal or two that is actually considered _healthy_."

Prompto brightened up. "So you're gonna make food?!"

He got up from his chair, taking his jacket. "I'll be right back with the ingredients...knowing that you don't have what I need." Prompto ignored the passive insult (or was it even an insult? He couldn't really tell. He was too excited that he was going to have an _actual_ meal for once).

Ignis put on his jacket and made his way to the door. "Please refrain from leaving. I would rather come back right where I left you two instead of venturing off for another one of your grand escapades."

Prompto grinned and gave him a mock salute. "Hurry back!" He sang. He was pretty sure he saw Ignis roll his eyes before leaving.

* * *

Sure enough Noctis woke up by the time Ignis had the food on the stove. Soon enough Prompto's apartment was filled with a delicious aroma of cooked meat. The two were practically just sitting at the island counter, ready to dig in. Noctis didn't even notice the political report that was strategically placed in front of his chair.

When the gourmet feast was ready he quickly snapped a picture and sent it to Evie.

 _'Ready to dig in~~ ^ _ ^`_

"Did you really just sent her a picture of the food?" Noctis asked, leaning over his friend's shoulder to get a good look at his phone.

"And if I did?" He inquired innocently and quickly took a selfie of both of them (Noctis completely unprepared) and immediately sent it to Evie.

"Prompto!" Noctis exclaimed, pushing himself off of his friend and went to his food.

He waved the phone teasingly. "Heh heh."

Ignis was seated across from them and started cutting into his meal, quietly observing the two.

 _'Omg you're so mean― and is his hair always that messy? …..or did he just wake up from a nap lol'_

"She says your hair looks funny."

Noctis just rolled his eyes and ignored him.

"Pardon me for intruding, but who is 'she'?" Ignis said after swallowing a bite.

"His girlfriend." Noctis said.

"No she isn't!" Prompto straightened up, the tips of his ears were slightly red. "I just met her a few days ago."

"Pray tell, how much did you bribe her to actually engage in a conversation with you?"

Noctis coughed on his food, masking his obvious laughter. Prompto pursed his lips and was about to say something back but his phone chimed again.

 _'Lol could you airdrop a plate over to me? I'm working on an article and I'm STARVING'_

He thought about it for a moment. Was this a way of inviting her over? Though the idea of having her over was just another opening for his friends to keep on pestering him. Not to mention he didn't want to scare Evie off so soon.

"C'mon, you don't need to bribe anyone with these good looks." Prompto retorted with a hair flip.

"Gross." The blonde eyed Noctis.

 _'How bout this? I'll get you food next time :)'_

"You know he took a picture of her and now he can't stop staring at it." Noctis went on, pointing to Prompto's room with his fork.

"Perhaps not the best way to approach a girl." Ignis commented. His face was ever-impassive but in his eyes Prompto could plainly see he was just _relishing_ in this moment.

"It's for photography!" Prompto defended, briskly cutting into his steak. "And I was _not_ creepily staring at it either!"

"You sound more guilty the more you deny it." The prince mused.

The teasing calmed down eventually when Ignis finally brought up the political report he brought for Noctis, but Prompto was sure he wasn't out of the clear _yet_. He knew Gladio would find out one way or another.

His phone chimed again with Evie's answer.

 _'Sounds good'_

* * *

 **Just a little insight on Prompto's side of the story. Hope you liked it! I'll be back with next week's update!**

 **-Jen**


	4. No Shirt Wednesdays

**Hey guys! I figured I would update a little early since I'm in such a great mood! I just got hired as a nursing assistant and I'm still kinda shocked right now-I would love it if you guys favorite/follow and review! In this chapter we get to see our beloved Gladdy interact with Evie. (He and Ignis are tied for 2nd on my favorite list)**

* * *

Chapter 4

No Shirt Wednesdays

Class was let out later than anticipated. Her psychology professor got really into their next unit and he was about to launch into his opening speech until the student pointed out the time. Evie collected her things and put it in her backpack as the students fled to the door in hopes to reaching their next class on time. Good thing she had a two hour break right now.

Evie went down the hall, slightly behind the larger groups and then she diverted onto her own path to the nearby snack station. She went down to the first floor and dug out her wallet when she arrived just before a rush of students came to stand in line behind her. She got a bottle of water and chips and was about to put her wallet away when a female voice asked, "Uhm, excuse me?" Evie looked up to see a girl with short brown hair and eyes. "Sorry to bother you, but I'm kinda lost. Do you know where the admin office is? This place is so _huge_."

She stowed away her things and readjusted the bag's strap. "Oh yeah," she said with a bright voice, "sure. When you walk out of this building, you need to walk past the gazebo and it's in K building."

The girl just gave her a blank stare. "Ahh," she laughed nervously, "where's the gazebo?"

Evie rolled her eyes at herself. Explaining directions was never her forte. She was just going to make the poor girl even more lost. "You know what, I can just show you. I know―this campus is _huge_."

"You sure? If you have something to do then I can just ask someone else." She said, giving her an understanding smile.

"It's no problem." The two headed over to one of the the building's exits. "Freshman?" Evie asked as she held the door open behind her.

"Yep! My name's Iris."

"Evie."

She lead both of them down one of the many paths with memorized ease. "Soo, then what year are you? Junior?"

"Senior. And don't worry about getting lost on campus. It's huge but not super complicated."

"That's what I'm hoping for!" Iris smiled. "I would've asked my older brother but he's always busy with work."

"What does your brother do?"

"Oh! He works for the Royal Family. He's Noctis' bodyguard." She said so casually as if she's repeated that phrase a million times.

 _Why all of a sudden am I meeting people who are affiliated with Prince Noctis?_

"Gladdy's probably just hanging around on campus but I hate to bother him."

They had just arrived at the gazebo. Literally that's what it was. Constructed with an iron frame, it had very ornate floral designs on the arches and dome. And it was located in the center of campus so paths from all directions came and met at the gazebo. "K building is just down there. Admin office is all the way at the end." She pointed ahead

"Hmm. You would think they would make it easier to find the offices…"

"Hmpf. I know right?"

"Well I can go on ahead. I don't want to pull you away from whatever you need to do." Iris said, taking a few steps further with a small bounce. Oh, how Evie wondered when Iris would lose that pep. Hopefully the classes she picked wouldn't be too harsh for her; Evie didn't like the idea of Iris walking around like every other depressed and sleep deprived student on campus, excluding Prompto.

"There's a huge sign over the doors, you can't miss it!" She called out for her.

"Thanks for your help! Oh, hey, give me your number. We should hangout sometime!"

 _I should at least remember I have her in my contacts…_ "Yeah, sure." They did a quick exchange and just before Iris went on her own way, Evie stopped her. "Do you know a guy named Prompto?"

Iris tilted her head. "Mhm! He's really good friends with Noctis. Gladdy and I think his hair looks like a chocobo's butt. Don't you think?"

Evie snorted. "I didn't really notice."

"Well see ya later, Evie!" She said with a wave and went on her way.

* * *

Evie meandered her way to her next class, but it wasn't going to start for another hour so she took the liberty to claim one of the cozy looking armchairs that was sitting further down the hallway. Some other student had his feet set up on the small table, reading a book with his head propped up with his hand.

She set her bag down at her feet and was about to pull out her laptop from her bag until she got a good look at the guy.

Her initial thought was: _where in the hell was his shirt? Was that even considered a shirt?_ His shirt seemed like it was a size too small, or his muscles were so huge that he couldn't button it at all. Maybe it was both.

He just _oozed_ muscle head and she would've scrunched her nose in distaste, but the book in his hand made her think otherwise. Evie mentally shrunk back at his gruff exterior. With the tattoo that crawled up his arms, to the scar that ran down his face, she could take a guess he could easily take down 20 men in one go.

The guy looked up from his book. They made eye contact longer than the common passing glance. Whoops. He raised his eyebrows at her, as if he was asking a silent "Can I help you?" The damn book was covering his mouth so she couldn't tell if that look was playful or menacing. She shifted in the fabric armchair and shamefully looked away, feeling the back of her neck heat up. _Way to be creepy, E._

"Take a picture. It'll last longer." He mused. He had a voice to match his exterior physique. Lyra would be head-over-heels that's for sure (or at least she would be physically pushing Evie to "Go talk to him girl!").

"S-sorry. I...I don't usually see you here. Nobody really comes down this hall."

He closed the book with a soft _thmp_. A sly grin curled his lips. "That's funny, because I'm here every other day and I never see _you_ here."

Well damn. First caught staring and now lying. "Right…" she rubbed the back of her head, silently panicking with 3rd degree embarrassment.

The guy took his feet off the table and leaned forward, elbows on his thighs. "So what brings you here to my humble corner?"

 _Oh gods he's still trying to talk to me._ "I'm just waiting for my class to start."

He nodded. "I'm Gladiolus." he said and reached out for a handshake. This guy was certainly comfortable with talking to strangers. Evie took his hand and nearly gawked at how huge his hands were compared to hers. A part of her worried he might accidentally crush it, but she was proven wrong.

Gladiolus. It was a long shot, but her mouth already jumped the gun before her brain could stop it. "Correct me if I'm wrong: do you have a younger sister?" Oh...what was her name? Damn her pathetic memory.

He immediately brightened. "Iris? Yeah. So you know her?" He asked.

"If you think talking to her for 10 minutes counts, then yeah. I showed her where the offices were a while ago." If she really thought about it, Gladio and Iris _did_ have the same hair and eye color, though his skin was a few shades darker. I'm assuming you know Prompto then..."

He smiled and folded his arms, leaning back in his chair. "Small world isn't it?"

He took the words right out of her mouth. "You have no idea."

"Let's see," he mused, "has he been getting on your nerves with all of his lame jokes yet?"

Personally she didn't see anything wrong with his puns, whether they were horrible or 11/10 perfection (yes, he had one or two that just made her double over in laughter). "Not quite. And maybe you don't think his jokes are funny because you don't have a sense of humor?" She shrugged. "I could be wrong though."

Gladio blinked. He looked as shocked and she was with her sudden wave of courage. Evie was about to apologize but he let out a laugh, unfazed by it. "You have yet to tell me your name y'know."

"Evie."

"Evie," he repeated. "Maybe you laugh at his jokes because you're not sure what _is_ funny." He threw her a wink. Evie wasn't sure whether to be offended or take offence on Prompto's behalf, but for some reason she felt like he constantly pestered the snot out of the poor blonde and the prince. Heck, he was smiling the entire time he said that. "I feel like I'll be seeing a lot of you if you know Prompto."

"I don't doubt that."

"Hey," he drawled, "don't make it sound like that's a bad thing. You'll need someone else to hang out with since Prompto basically plays video games and takes pictures all day. Kid's pretty boring."

"Your life doesn't seem that fun either. I hear you just babysit the prince and make sure he doesn't bump into anything."

Gladio shrugged, acknowledging her point. "Touché."

"I'll let you get back to it then. I gotta get to class." And then she added: "It was nice to meet you."

"Yeah," the bodyguard grinned, "same here."

* * *

"You said _what_?"

Evie looked away sheepishly. "I don't know what came over me! Lyra you should've seen him! He was so...I don't know, he was huge! We were both sitting but you could easily tell that he would be taller than the average guy. He could easily crush me―"

"―but he didn't!" Lyra sat back in her seat and twirled a pencil in between her fingers. "But now that you mention it...I think I've seen him around before."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" She nodded firmly. "Big guy, big muscles. Pretty hot if you ask me but that's not the point. You're meeting a bunch of cute guys!"

" _Lyr._ 'Bunch' doesn't mean 'two' and frankly, you're not helping. I don't need you shipping me with every guy that comes my way."

"I wasn't shipping!" Lyra defended with a pout.

After class Evie went straight back to the dorms. She needed to tell _someone_ the crazy run-ins that have been happening and Lyra was the one despite the fact that she would nitpick at Evie's decisions.

"So then what happened?"

"I went to class."

"Ugh. E you can't just make it sound exciting and just leave it as a cliffhanger!"

Evie was ready to throw a book at her friend. "Well what did you expect to happen? I didn't talk to him for long."

"Yeah that's true. I should just consider this as exciting as it will ever get since you rarely talk to strangers straight off the bat." The red head squinted at her friend, but she just shrugged and gave her an innocent smile. "Relax, relax. I'm just joking. Text me when these things happen though! I'm feeling left out."

"You have classes and work." Evie's phone buzzed in her pocket. "We can't exactly go 'guy hunting' together." She dug out her phone and tapped on the screen.

"'Guy hunting'," she scoffed, "I'm offended."

A message from Prompto:

 _'Hey whats up?'_

Lyra eyed her friend's phone. "Hmm? Who's that? Prompto or the prince's hot bodyguard?"

"Lyra, _please_. I don't have Gladiolus' number."

"So it's Prompto then?"

"You don't need to know." Evie sang and scooted towards the wall in her bed.

"It's Prompto." She said with finality.

"Don't you have an essay to do?"

 _'Ah, just got back from class. Guess who I saw today?'_

Lyra just smirked and went back to her laptop, 100% certain that it was the bubbly blonde her friend was talking to.

 _'Who?'_

 _'Iris and her older brother'_

 _'Ehh? Really?! You just need to meet noct and iggy and youve met the entire crew lol'_

 _'Yeahh…'_

Evie paused and looked at his contact picture. She let Iris' words repeat in her head and she stifled a laugh when she got a good look at Prompto's hairstyle. The picture was angled so it wasn't too obvious but now that she thought about it…

 _'Iris was right…'_

 _'O v O;; about what?'_

 _'Your hair. It DOES look like a chocobo's butt…'_

Prompto immediately started typing and Evie somewhat felt bad, but his response sent her regrets far far away.

 _'WHAT!? Not you too! ; A ; I didn't try to copy it I swear!'_

 _'I'm not saying that it's a bad thing! Lol you make it work'_

 _'But you just said it looks like a chocobos butt T . T'_

 _'Don't you like chocobos though? Besides I never said anything bad about chocobo butts. Your hair looks perfectly fine :)'_

 _' :') im glad you think so. Stay away from gladio! Hes a bad influence! He just wants you to make fun of me too'_

 _'I'd never'_

With chocobo butts to the side, they texted well into the night. It was the second time Evie lost track of time.

* * *

 **I'm completely aware Prompto didn't take Evie out for food in this chapter. Our chocobabe is just a dork and super nervous (can I keep him please?!) Thanks for your reviews/favorites/follows!**

 **-Jen**


	5. Questions Over Coffee

**Gosh you guys I'm so glad you're enjoying this sack of fluffy/awkwardness that is my story. Thanks for your reviews for the last chapter :) You guys are awesome.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Questions Over Coffee

It had been a few weeks ever since she met Prompto, and they started to make it a daily thing to go out and get a quick snack if they weren't busy. They usually met at the infamous café where all of this started. Prompto occasionally picked out a couple cafés of his choosing and Evie threw in a few of her favorite spots. Living in the city all of her life she knew a generous amount of coffee shops, shopping districts, and the perfect times to go to the park. Unfortunately for Prompto, he couldn't find the guts to formally ask Evie out instead of just casually getting food as friends.

With all the classes and the usual demand from the paper, she always looked forward to their little outings even if they lasted as little as an hour. The short excursions were redeemed with all the texts Prompto and her would exchange, and despite Gladio's warning she still hadn't gotten sick of Prompto's puns. The chocobo hair thing still make her giggle though.

In speaking of the paper, she just finished up a meeting for it and was given a new list of articles to have for their section. Assigning stories amongst her team wasn't that bad, but she was faced with her own little wall to tackle. In the art gallery there was going to be a new exhibition that was going to showcase students' art and she was asked to interview a few of the artists while giving out information as to when it would open.

"It's not like it's hard...but I don't know who to interview." Evie and Lyra were sitting in the cafeteria, eating lunch.

Lyra sat back in her chair, biting into a sandwich and then swallowing. "Didn't they give a list of who's gonna be submitting stuff to the gallery?"

"They probably did but I don't remember them mentioning it. They didn't email me anything either."

Her friend gave her a look. A 'girl-are-you-serious' look. "Then tell them! Or better yet," she clapped her hands and gave an enthusiastic grin, "ask Prompto if he's doing it! He's in photography right? I'm pretty sure the art department displays the photography kids' pictures in the gallery!"

Well that wasn't a bad idea.

"You text practically every 10 minutes so it's not like it'll be awkward," Lyra added.

"I do _not_ text him that often."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "You don't, but he does."

Evie was about to protest but then her phone buzzed on the table. She cringed and picked up the phone under Lyra's smug expression.

 _'I found a pun are you ready~?'_

He didn't give her a moment to respond.

 _'Great! Here ya go :3'_

Her phone buzzed again and in the chat she saw a picture of a fish with a top hat and a bowtie and on the bottom of the picture said "SOFISHTICATED".

"Gods…" she muttered under a smile. Lyra caught on easily and she leaned over the table.

"Ooh! What did he say?!"

"It's just another pun." She laughed and showed her friend the picture. Lyra sat back with an audible groan.

 _'Seems like a rather...scaley situation'_

 _'HA! Good one! Guess im starting to rub off on you :)'_

"Please tell me you didn't just respond with a pun." Lyra deadpanned. Evie lifted her eyebrows at her with a grin and her friend just rolled her eyes. "You're so lame. So _so_ lame."

 _'Do you have anything going on later today?'_

"His puns are pretty clever," she shrugged. "Some of them are so bad they're hilarious."

"That doesn't even make sense," Lyra wrinkled her nose and took another bite out of her lunch. Evie munched on a bag of chips and waited for Prompto to respond.

 _'Nope!'_

 _'Are you going to be featured in the next exhibition by chance? I'm looking for artists to interview for next month's issue'_

 _'Uhhh yeah actually :o so you want an interview? I'm your guy~ ^ _ ^ when did you want to do it?'_

"Guess I'm interviewing Prompto." She said. Lyra hummed to herself.

"I knew it! This is the perfect opportunity!" Evie gave Lyra a questioning look. "To ask him out!"

Evie blinked. The back of her neck heated up. "What?"

"Oh come _on_. It's obvious he has a thing for you, and to be honest, I can tell you like him too."

"I thought you said you weren't shipping it."

"I'm highly _encouraging_ it. Besides, I think he's a good guy. You need a break from all those other guys." Lyra's teasing eased up at the last sentence. Her friend gave her a small smile, eyes hopeful.

Evie frowned and finished off her chips. "I don't need to have someone y'know."

"I know. I'm just saying that Prompto seems pretty cool." The maroon haired girl shrugged. "But whatever. It's your call." She went ahead and dove into her sandwich once again.

 _'So same place at 2?'_

 _'Aaallllrighty! :)'_

* * *

Evie sat in her usual spot in the café, holding a piping hot cup of coffee while going over the questions she had prepared for Prompto. It was a few minutes before two and she hadn't been there that long when she felt something prod at her sides. She jumped and whipped her head around to see Prompto's cheeky grin. "Heya." He said.

"Gods you scared me," she sighed and reached over to give him a playful shove but he evaded her quickly and slid over to the seat directly across from her.

He noted the cup in her hand. "Sorry, were you waiting long?"

"Nah, I got here a few minutes ago. Did you want to get something first?" Evie set her cup down and flipped through a small notebook she had on the table. "I don't have a lot a questions, so I don't think it'll take too long."

Prompto shrugged and scooted closer to the table. "If I get hungry I'll get something." He pointed finger guns at her. "Fire away."

She smiled and clicked her pen on the table, reading off the first question. "So the exhibition's theme is 'Memory Palace'. What came to mind when you first heard it?"

"Let's see…" he tapped a finger on his chin, "how in the world am I going to come up with _one_ piece to show? All of the pictures I take are memories that are special to me." He gave her a few moments to quickly jot down his words.

"Oooh," she hissed through her teeth and gave him a sympathetic smile, "next question's gonna be tricky: so how do you know when you find 'the one' to submit?"

"Ehh, I'm getting down to my top 5. I guess I'll pick one if the memory is powerful enough."

Evie was writing down a few sentences and an idea popped in her head. "Can't you just mash them all together into one collage?"

"Is that an interview question?"

"Nope, just curiosity."

"That's a pretty good idea! I can't believe I didn't think about that." Prompto nodded to himself and then flashed her a grin. "You're a genius Eve!"

Eve. She was always called 'E' amongst her friends and sometimes people tried to give her other names like Evangeline or Genevieve thinking that Evie was short for something. It was just Evie (and now apparently Eve made it onto the small nickname list).

"Wait," she thought for a moment. "You didn't put in a submission yet? Isn't the exhibition supposed to open in a week?" Prompto averted his eyes, suddenly finding the light fixtures fine pieces of decoration. "I mean you have time, but you gotta pick something!"

"I knooow," he whined. "I'm just stuck on a few photos."

She went back to her list of questions. "With your senior year wrapping up, what are your thoughts knowing that you need to start buckling down on a submission for the senior thesis exhibition coming up in the spring?"

Prompto sat there for a while, chewing on his inner lip in deep thought. "First off I find it crazy since time flew so fast and now here I am, down to my last few exhibitions." He had his hands on the table. "People usually think 'I gotta make sure that this last one tops the rest! It needs to be better than everything else I made' and sure, that's true, but for me I think I just want to make sure that I include all of my favorite memories I made at this school―and also good enough so I can graduate." His freckles danced as he laughed.

That sounded almost philosophical, and it contrasted against how Prompto always seemed to carry himself. Evie didn't know him for that long so it was like she was getting pleasantly surprised every other day (though the last comment just showcased the Prompto she always knew).

Evie was busy writing down his response, occasionally asking him to repeat a few words for her. She was down to the last sentence when he asked, "So how do you like journalism? I was never good with English and writing essays."

She picked up her head and set her pen down. "Well, I like it." Evie took a sip of her coffee. "I can't exactly draw or take awesome pictures like you, and gods, I _hate_ math and science. I'm pretty good at writing so why not get a major in journalism?"

"Fair enough." He gestured to her notebook. "Need anything else answered?"

"Nope," she closed the notepad with finality. "I have a word limit―that's my only problem"

Prompto clapped his hands together. "Ohh. It's _my_ turn to interview you!" He stood on his feet, making the stool scrape unpleasantly across the floor. "Right after I get a snack." He fished out his wallet. "Did you want anything?"

"What? No I'm good, thanks." She shook her head. "You don't need to buy me anything anyways."

"Offer still stands." He grinned and hopped into the line. He was back within a few minutes with a small bag in hand. "Do you like éclairs?" He asked as he opened the bag, showcasing said pastries.

"Oh yeah. Haven't had them in a while."

"Here, have one! They aren't as good as Iggy's though." He said and plucked one from the bag. Evie thanked him and went on ahead and indulged in the sugary treat. The melted chocolate smeared on the tips of her fingers in the process. At least they were mini-éclairs.

"Iggy. It's Ignis, right? Prince Noctis' advisor." She covered her mouth with her hand while she chewed.

"Mhm," he nodded, "I sent you a picture of his food."

"You're such a tease." She swallowed and wiped the chocolate off her fingers on a napkin.

"Don't worry, I said I'll treat you one day."

"Is that why you offered to buy something for me?"

"And then you rejected my offer," he scoffed, feigning hurt. "It was out of the goodness of my heart."

"Éclairs don't come _close_ to that work of art on a plate!" Despite herself she reached for another mini pastry.

"You should've seen all the other meals he made when we were out traveling over the summer. They were to _die_ for."

"He needs to make me something so I can be the judge of that."

He arched a brow and smirked. "I'll tell him that then!" He sucked the chocolate off his fingers. "Okay, now I have questions for you. Journalism is an associate's right? Did you change your major then? We're the same age right?"

"Yep. Halfway through sophomore year I was majoring in English. With an English degree I felt overwhelmed with all my options so I just went for journalism to narrow things down for me." She went for her coffee again, "Sometimes I wondered if I should've stayed put with a bachelor's in English."

"Well it's not a _huge_ change." He offered. "So do you know what you're gonna do after graduation?"

"I'm starting to look at job openings for Insomnia's paper. Travel magazines...anything really."

"Oh, travel magazines? That sounds like fun! Road trip with Eve!" She couldn't help but notice how constant his smiles were. His eyes lit up occasionally whenever he spoke. If only she had that much enthusiasm.

"I still haven't applied for anything yet. Things might pop up later this semester."

"Yeah, that's true."

* * *

Prompto opened the door to his apartment and was surprised to see all of his friends inside. Ignis was at the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishcloth while Gladio and Noctis were sitting at the couch playing one of the many racing games in Prompto's collection. "Eh? When did you all get here?"

"A while ago, actually." Ignis chimed in. "We have sent you a few texts but you never responded. I took the liberty in making dinner and I put some leftovers in your refrigerator since Noct requested that I leave some here for you." There was a separate stack of containers sitting on the counter, no doubt that was for Noctis when he would head back to his place.

"What took you so long Blondie?" Gladio called out as he veered his car to a secret passageway, passing Noctis in the process. The prince cursed

"I bet he was with Evie." Noctis said as if Prompto wasn't even in the room.

Prompto's cheeks flared up. "And so what if I was?" He went to the kitchen and immediately went to the fridge. "What are you guys doing here anyways?"

"Noct apparently forgot his backpack here, regrettably." Ignis said, obviously still annoyed. "Prompto I do hope you start locking your doors. I worry some desperate college student is going to wander inside one day and vandalize the place."

"Hey, don't talk about Noct that way!" The bodyguard called out with a grin. Noctis shoved at him but Gladio, was naturally a brick wall, remained in his spot as if nothing touched him. "So Prompto, aren't you going to tell us how the lovely lady is doing?"

The blonde emerged from the fridge with a tupperware container of roast stew. The container was still warm and it was steamy inside, hinting that his friends finished their meal not so long ago. Prompto quickly served himself a plate. "She's fine." He replied, seating himself at the island.

"C'mon man, _details_. We know she's fine to look at." Prompto could just _see_ Gladio's smirk in his head and he couldn't help but fall for the bait the bodyguard threw out.

"W-well what do you want me to tell you? She just needed an interview for the paper." He defended as he took a bite from his food in hopes of distracting him from turning red like a tomato.

"An interview for what? For an article for singles on campus? Talk about being proactive. I knew there was a reason to like her ever since I met her!" It seemed that Ignis' out-of-this-world food couldn't distract him this time. Prompto hastily ate away, failing to ignore the snickers and taunts from his friends.

* * *

 **I'll have to give you guys a heads up: next few chapters are just going to be filled with Prompto being a bigger dork than he already is. I'm gonna be on vacation all of next week so I figured I'll just upload next week's chapter right now. See ya next-next week! Thanks for reading!**

 **-Jen**


	6. Gettin' Warmer

**Ugh I want to go back on vacation. The weather was so nice :'D Thanks for your kind words in your reviews for the last chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6

Gettin' Warmer

"That's cute." Evie gushed at the collection of pictures Prompto took at the chocobo post last summer. The next day they decided to just meet at the campus' cafeteria to save time and Prompto brought his laptop along with the pictures he promised to show her from previous storytellings except for the one picture he took of her in the café, in which she asked about but he never gave her a solid answer. Instead he hopped from one album to another to show off his photos.

Evie had to admit that Prompto was quite the photographer. The views of the beaches at Galdin Quay to the rustic countryside (and a few chocobo photobombs) were just beautiful, almost tangible. She particularly liked this one photo Prompto took of him and Noctis night fishing at the beach. It just seemed so peaceful in comparison to all the goofy snapshots of him and the guys.

"We should go sometime," Prompto commented casually as he exited full screen.

She didn't really think much of it. "That would sound like fun. Timewise we would have to plan it but yeah―I'd just love to go out on a drive to Lestallum." Her eye caught a folder with the name "Project WIPs". She pointed at the screen, "What's in that folder?"

"Hmm?" He clicked on the folder. "Oh these are just my more recent pictures―the ones I haven't edited yet." She watched the thumbnails fly down in the folder, catching glimpses of more urban backdrops and the occasional cute animal. And then she caught something.

"Wait, wait, scroll back up." Prompto did so until she told him to stop. The thumbnail was so small but she could make out the shape of it. "Is that the picture you took of me?"

"Y-yeah," he said nervously and started quickly scrolling away. "It's not done yet though!"

"But it's been _weeks_. Can I at least see what you have so far?"

Prompto pouted and closed the dialogue box. "But I want to make it perfect! I promise you'll see it right away when I finished it."

She didn't really have a right to complain since she had no idea what his editing process was, but she couldn't fight off the curiosity that had been bubbling up inside her for the past week. Regardless, she let it slide. " _Fine_."

Prompto eventually had to leave to go to class, and she couldn't deny the fact that she was somewhat bummed out about it. She always enjoyed their conversations, even though they would easily carry over 3 hours of talking. They even had to take a break to get food and now here sat Evie with a crumbled up burger wrapper and box of unfinished fries.

Evie let her eyes linger and watched Prompto walk off to the main atrium until she could no longer see his bright tuft of blonde hair. In her peripheral vision she saw someone wave, but she didn't regard it until the figure came closer into focus.

"Hey, Evie!"

Iris' voice snapped her out of her daydream, causing her to clumsily wave back at the brunette. Iris strode over to her table and took Prompto's seat. "Oh hey. How've you been?" Evie asked. Iris had texted Evie once in a while since their initial meeting, but with classes (mostly hanging out with either Lyra or Prompto) she had been somewhat busy.

"Pretty good! It's been a while since we've seen each other!" Iris set her bag on the table. "Was Prompto sitting here?"

She ate a French fry. "How'd you know?"

"Mmm, lucky guess." Iris winked and then laughed. "I ran into him when he was leaving the cafeteria. I figured he was with you when I saw you sitting here." Evie smiled. "Sooo you two seem pretty close now." Evie frowned.

"You think so?"

The younger girl just shrugged. "So how are classes for you? I just got done with an exam for biology."

"Oh how did that go? And they're just classes. I'm more focused on the paper right now."

"Ahhh," she scratched the back of her head. "At least a passing grade for sure. I'm pretty sure Gladdy won't be too happy, but I'm going to be more prepared next time!"

 _Oh...the optimism of a college freshman._ "How's your brother doing anyways? I haven't really seen him except that one time." Occasionally they would run into each other, but it would always be brief because either she had something to do, or the poor bodyguard had to follow after the sleepy prince. She had yet to formally introduce herself to Prompto's best friend.

"Honestly he's just the same. Other than trying to get Noctis to get up and go to class and stuff, nothing's really different." Her brown eyes lit up. "But he's been complaining a lot about Prompto."

She arched a brow. "How so?"

Iris giggled. "He keeps on saying Prompto's been more spaced out lately. I've noticed it too―he always stares at his phone and keeps on smiling. He's been getting goofier I think."

Evie smirked at the idea of Prompto's puns reaching a whole new level of cheesy, driving Gladio more insane. "It's probably because of all the puns he's been sending me. I'm pretty sure 75% of our conversations are all puns." She could always see his goofy grin whenever she would read the jokes, and that pout he would make whenever she brought up his hair.

"I see." She said with an eyebrow wiggle. Evie dismissed it.

* * *

After class, Prompto met up with Noctis. The prince finally willed himself to go to a political conference, much to Ignis' pressing _encouragement_. Prompto decided to tag along with his friend to the capital's citadel.

Thankfully the meeting didn't last as long as he expected and soon enough he was found with his friend in the heart of the city, walking past shops and skyscrapers while Noctis voiced his uninterest in politics and what-not. He felt somewhat bad for his friend. Apparently after they graduated this year Noctis had to marry Lunafreya within the year. They would have to kiss goodbye to their yearly summer trips soon.

Prompto whistled a little tune as they meandered down the sidewalk, glancing at the buildings and the people to maybe find a distraction to alleviate his stressed friend. His blue eyes stopped when they fell on a sign. He grabbed onto Noctis' arm and pointed at a big sign with a chocobo on it reading "GRAND OPENING!" with clusters of balloons tacked on the sign. Surprisingly it wasn't enough to carry it away.

" _Noct_! Do you see that?! Let's check it out!" He exclaimed.

"Wait wha―" Noctis didn't have time to finish his sentence as his eager friend dragged him down to the sidewalk and threw the door wide open to a―

"Chocobo café…" Prompto murmured in awe.

It was like a dimmed version of the Moogle Chocobo Carnival was packed into this small business suite. Chocobo motifs were _everywhere_ , but it was so crowded in the café Prompto couldn't see them all.

From what he could see, the café was indeed modern. It had a patterned gray backsplash behind the white counter, but that's what all he got since it was just so jam packed. At least it had high ceilings so it didn't feel like he was getting suffocated.

"I think you're getting cheered up with this, not me." Noctis said, smiling at how Prompto was just beaming.

"Aw c'mon, you gotta admit this is pretty cool! Let's get something."

"I mean…" Noctis looked uncertain. They were barely inside the café thanks to the line, and people were crowded at tables sipping and eating chocobo themed treats. "The wait seems pretty long."

" _Please_ Noct? We gotta give it a try. Besides, you need to take your mind off of boring ol'meetings." Prompto slung his arm around the prince's shoulders and pointed at a menu that had been written on a huge chalkboard that took up most of the wall. In the corners of the board were small doodles of chocobos. One caught his eye as a chocobo drawing said "No chocobos were harmed in making this café~"

Prompto dug his phone out of his pocket and snapped a couple of selfies with him and Noctis. "I gotta send this to Evie."

"Ahh," Noctis folded his arms and nodded slowly, "so you're still talking to her?"

"What do you mean _still_? I haven't stopped talking to her." He stated, sending the photo to said girl. They moved up the line.

"You must be crazy about her then." Prompto stared at Noctis, who was proudly wearing a smirk. Okay, he walked himself into that one in all honesty. He was about to say something else but Prompto's phone chimed. "Well speak of the devil." Noctis snickered.

 _'I was wondering what in the world you were doing. Hanging out with the prince I see?'_

Prompto stared at the text. Was she _waiting_ for him to text her? Considering he had class and was out in town, of course he could've gotten distracted. He felt a pang of guilt throb in his stomach.

 _'Sorry if I dropped off the face of the planet D: I found a really cool café! ITS CHOCOBO THEMED'_

He proceeded to take a quick snapshot of the busy café. In the picture it looked like any other coffeeshop thanks to the customers covering most of the chocobo decorations and snacks that were showcased in the glass displays.

 _'I bet you're in heaven right now lmao'_

 _'I'll take you here sometime! ^ _ ^ its super crowded tho ;;; it just opened and the lines going out the door'_

"Sometimes I wonder what you're waiting for. An invitation?" Noctis interrupted his train of thought as he peered over his friend's shoulder.

"Wha―Nooooct!" Prompto exclaimed and held the phone far away from Noctis' view, ultimately making it hard to see the screen himself. He nearly punched the back of some guy who was standing right in front of them when he was trying to preserve the privacy of his conversation with Evie.

"Might as well take a shot before some other person sweeps her away." Noctis mused and started to glaze over the menu. "Gladio may have the hots for her."

The blonde put his phone down and stared at him. His stomach twisted. "Wait what?" Sure Gladio was known for his charismatic behavior but…

" _Relax_ , I'm just joking." Noctis gave his friend a reassuring pat on the back. "But seriously though, ask her out."

"Not cool, man." Prompto shook his head and relaxed a bit. He knew his friends long enough to know that they wouldn't go after the same girl (although that rarely happened to begin with) so why was he getting to riled up at the thought? Honestly, he would still back off if it came down to it just to solely preserve his friendship with the guys...but with Evie it seemed different.

They got closer to the register and by now they could see the assorted snacks and drinks the café created. Prompto's eyes were set on a mini version of the Golden Chocobo Tart that sat proudly on one of the display shelves. He had been to the Moogle Chocobo Carnival, but it had been a while ago. Hopefully this tart was just as good as the original―

His phone went off again.

 _'Let me know if it's good! Is it by the palace? I saw signs of something under construction over there but I haven't been that far in the city in a while…'_

 _'Yep! Be prepared for some spammin :3'_

Who knows long it had been until they were finally able to order their food. As per usual the duo received a few stares from the workers and ongoing customers, realizing that they were in the presence of a celebrity. After years of hanging out these two passed it off as second nature without batting an eyelash when a suddenly giddy cashier nervously told them their total.

Both Noctis and Prompto got an orange and creme smoothie. The cups had chocobos printed at the bottom and so did the straw wrappers. They had the motif down pat that's for sure. They waited for the rest of their order and managed to snag a bistro table.

Prompto insisted that he would arrange the food to make it presentable for Evie, and albeit reluctant, Noctis complied and watched his eager friend set up a couple chocobo shaped cookies and the tart next to their smoothies. The moment Prompto took a picture Noctis reached over and took a cookie from the table. "Hey! What if I didn't like this photo!"

"You're just gonna send it to Evie. It's not like she's going to notice if one cookie wasn't aligned perfectly."

Prompto zoomed in on his picture. "Oh man, was it?!" Noctis rolled his eyes and nodded as he took a bite out of the cookie.

"Not bad."

Prompto took the other cookie and held it in his mouth as he quickly typed out:

 _'Im in love T . T these cookies are so cute Cookies are pretty good btw~'_

The cookie was basically a sugar cookie with orange flavored icing―not that it was bad or anything. He picked up his fork and cut into the tart. "Oooh man, I hope this is good!" He exclaimed and took a bite. He wasn't given much time to process the flavors because his phone went off _again_.

 _'You fangirling over this is cute lmao. Youre such a dork :)'_

He coughed up his tart. Noctis looked up, alarmed. "That bad?"

"No," he swallowed with a rasp. "She called me cute!" He held up his phone. "She called me cute, Noct!" He repeated. "What do I do?!" There was no point in hiding the obvious blush that was adorning his cheeks.

Noctis casually took a sip of his smoothie. "Just ask her out," he said, "do it before I do it _for_ you."

"You wouldn't."

"I might! How long are you going to pine after her?" He said thoughtfully, "Or maybe I can get Gladio to do it."

"Ahhh! That would be even worse!" Prompto groaned.

"Didn't you say you promised to take her out for lunch or something?"

He nodded.

"Did you do that yet?"

He shook his head, immediately looking away.

Noctis groaned. "Let me offer you some advice: you can't keep the lady waiting."

* * *

He hasn't been this giddy ever since...maybe a few years ago? There was this girl named Cindy, who was majoring in mechanical engineering, he basically kept on falling over for his freshman year. After a few failed attempts of getting her attention he dejectedly gave up despite Noctis' constant support (not to mention teasing from the other guys). More than likely Cindy graduated with a passing memory of him, now working at some auto shop. He for sure felt like he didn't have any more chances with other girls…

And now here he was, actually pacing back and forth in his somewhat clean room (clean as in his piles of clothes were shoved to the far corners so it wasn't the first thing you saw) staring at the phone that had been tossed on his bed.

He didn't reply to her comment since the chocobo café since he wasn't sure what to say and so he busied himself with actually cleaning up around his apartment to keep the temptation to reply at bay. The two questions still haunted his thoughts: did she know he liked her? Did she like him back? Only the Six knew. Geeze, he felt like such a high schooler.

 _Ugh. Man…_ he thought to himself before finally flopping onto his bed. His phone bounced at the sudden weight on the bed. He held it up in front of his face, staring at the blinking cursor in the chat box. He started typing a message and then deleted it. He went back and forth with this pattern until he got the guts to spit out at least _one_ sentence.

 _'Chocobo café cookies are pretty good! T ~ T the tart isnt the same tho…'_

He half wanted to give the excuse that his phone died but the thought of telling her the smallest white lie left a bitter taste in his mouth. It was almost 9...she should be up right?

 _'Aw darn :/ that tart looks really good tbh. At least we can add that café to our list though!'_

Guess she wasn't bothered about the lack of texting.

 _'It was tasty but its better at the actual carnival ; q ;'_

 _'Well I think I'm gonna call it a night. I'm super tired for some reason…'_

 _'Ohhhhh. Night! :)'_

 _He let his phone drop onto his che_ st so he could recollect his thoughts, but he immediately jumped when it buzzed one more time.

 _'Niiiight'_

* * *

 **I'll be back next week with another one as usual! Thanks for reading!**

 **-Jen**


	7. We Can't Be Just Friends

**Has it been a week already? Why does it feel like I haven't updated in forever?**

 **Anyways! Here's another chapter.**

 **Chapter was inspired by "Just Let Go" by _Mae_ and "So Contagious" by _Acceptance._**

* * *

Chapter 7

We Can't Be Just Friends

Evie repositioned the stack of papers in her arms before depositing the newest edition of the campus' paper in the wired basket. She had offered to distribute the papers around campus and she was about to wrap up. Good thing too since she needed to start cracking down on upcoming exams and quizzes (and her arms were starting to hurt after hefting heavy stacks of papers).

It had been a week since her interview with Prompto and now the paper was published. Today happened to be the opening of the exhibition. He hadn't messaged her about his submission, but then again she didn't want to bring unwanted stress to the boy. Her phone chimed within a few seconds. She looked at the screen, unsurprised to see Prompto's name. She smiled at his contact picture.

 _'Hey hey hey are you on campus rn?'_

She cut off the bindings off another stack of papers and tossed them in a nearby trashcan. She managed to type out an answer with her left hand while the other was putting in issues one at the time.

 _'Yeah I'm putting out this month's issue. I'm just outside the student center'_

 _'Aight'_

She paused at what she just said. Did she expect him to come find her or something? A part of herself wanted to roll her eyes, but knowing Prompto as much as she did she found spontaneous outings for food and whatnot to be believable―

She first heard a set of heavy footfalls behind her break into a run and then a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and she felt someone's body pressed up against her back. "Boo." The voice whispered and she gasped, dropping her stack of papers. Evie immediately untangled herself from the sudden pair of arms and spun around to see Prompto's beaming face.

A blush rose to her cheeks as she fumed. "What the hell?! You're lucky I didn't kick your face in." She bent down to scoop up the papers and found Prompto fumbling around to help her out. Evie then proceeded to swat at his arm with the papers, causing Prompto to laugh. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm down. Her heart was thudding heavily against her chest. "Gods, please don't do that again." She sighed.

Prompto picked up the rest of the stray papers off the floor. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. When I got your text I was coming downstairs," he gestured to a staircase that was across the hall. "I was looking for you actually. I was walking around campus…"

Evie furrowed her brows. So he _was_ looking for her. "Why didn't you just text me earlier then instead of walking around?"

He blinked and cleared his throat. "O-oh yeah! Guess I didn't think that through." Prompto said with a sheepish grin. He leaned to one side, pointing to the stack of this month's issue. "Is our interview in it?"

She brightened up and nodded. Evie turned around and picked up a newspaper and handed it to him. "Yeah, it's on page 3A. I had to cut out some of your words so I could stay within my word limit. I was kinda bummed; you said a lot of good things."

The blonde looked at the campus' paper, mentally noting the page number before folding it over so he could read it later. "Well you have the full interview in your head so that's fine with me!" He smiled. "So are you almost done with passing them out?"

"I'm done actually." She said as she reshuffled her dropped newspapers and put them in the basket.

"Great! Because I have something to show you!" He sang as he took her by the wrist leading her down the hall with an energetic bounce in his gait

* * *

Evie got the hint by the time they made it to the art department on campus. He was going to show his submission!

She had been to the gallery a number of times (mostly thanks to essays for humanities and English) and had enjoyed some of the works the students and faculty made. The gallery was just a humble studio room with bright laminate wood floors and white walls that had spotlights hanging from the tall ceilings. The doors of the gallery were open, but Prompto quickly stepped in the way blocking her view. "Okay, I need you to close your eyes."

She blinked. "You're not going to jump scare me again right?"

He pouted. "C'mon you need to put more faith in me! Close your eyes _please_?" Evie thought she would be immune to his dorky grins, but she was proven wrong when he shot her one. She laughed with a roll of her eyes. She could humor him this time.

"Alright," she drawled and she shut her eyes. Prompto leaned forward to inspect if they were really closed, but he held his breath when he got closer to her face. He pursed his lips and quickly went around her and put his hands gently on her shoulders.

"Okay, just walk forward."

She let his voice instruct her and his hands guide her as they made their way into the gallery. Prompto was trying not to squeeze her shoulders too tight. She couldn't feel his pulse through his hands right? Because his heart was thudding heavily against his chest.

A million thoughts were whirring around inside the blonde's head. Was she going to like it? How was she going to react? _Six help me._ Prompto drove her in the direction of where his piece was hung on the wall and finally get go of her shoulders, standing slightly behind to the side of her. "Open 'em!"

Evie did so and was greeted by a series of photos in one huge black frame. She smiled at the pictures. It was a collage, guess he took her half-serious advice, with a plethora of images of his friends and cityscapes with a similar color scheme of warm oranges and reds and―

Was that _her_? Her eyes froze on her picture and her heart climbed up in her throat. It was the one she had been pestering him for the past weeks. In the center of the collage was a shot of him and his friends posing in front of a _very_ fancy car and to the side of the photo was hers. She nearly forgot what it looked like in the beginning and now the image was blown up to at least the size of her head for all the patrons to see.

Prompto shifted from one foot to another with his hands in his pockets. He could hear his pulse in his ears no thanks to the sudden deafening silence that swept over them. He frowned as he waited for an answer, but he received nothing from the redhead. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "S-sooo what do you think?"

She blinked, almost surprised to hear his voice. "Hmm?" Evie glanced at him and then back at the photos. "It's… it's great! Yeah," she paused, biting her tongue for such an awkward response. "I never thought you would, uh, include me in your submission."

It was like red flags were being waved in front of Prompto's face. For some reason he could hear sirens go off in his ears and damnit all that wasn't helping the situation. Prompto looked at the photo and then at Evie. "Sorry, I should've asked! I just...I just wanted to surprise you―"

"No, no," she said hurriedly, "I just didn't think that _I_ would be a part of it." Personally she didn't see anything special about her own photo, don't get her wrong! Prompto did an amazing job of capturing it, but she couldn't wrap the idea that he wanted to put a photo in the collage with _her_ as the subject. Evie smiled at last and nodded. "Everything looks great. And don't worry: you _definitely_ surprised me."

"I'm glad you like it!" Prompto said. _Did_ she like it? Did she approve of it? Gods, he couldn't tell any more, but her smile gave him an extra wave of assurance. He took a step towards the piece and gestured to all the photos. "I was really stressed on the color scheme to make it flow." He added, slightly feeling more comfortable speaking. "I'll be honest I was stumped with your photo. I didn't know what else I could do to touch it up so I just left it as is and submitted the piece." His gaze went to her. "Turns out it was great on its own."

Evie nodded, taking extra care looking at the other photos, totally missing the look he gave her. She couldn't help but smirk when she saw an image of a chocobo chick. Evie rolled her eyes. _Typical_. Her eyes flickered to the little card that was tacked on the wall next to his piece:

 _Warmth_

 _Photography_

 _Prompto Argentum_

That would explain the colors and the smiles she would make every time she would see his pictures. She particularly liked one where it appeared to be a candid shot of his friends sitting against the car with the sunset to their backs. "Seriously, Prompto, this is amazing. It all looks so professional and beautiful."

He swallowed. "Y-yeah. Just like you." If he wasn't blushing before he definitely was now. The back of his neck heated up.

It took her a moment to process the entirety of his sentence. Her stomach did a small flip as she looked at him with wide eyes. "Wait, what?"

"What?" He repeated and immediately looked away, staring intensely at the far corner of the picture frame. _Very smooth, dude. Very smooth._

"Prompto!"

At this point it was now or never for the blonde. He had two choices: abort or proceed and he was sure as hell he wasn't going to back down now. It took a few seconds for him to mentally psych himself up before he finally turned to face her. "Are you free tomorrow night? We should do something." He smiled and eagerly awaited her answer.

He watched her facial expression and body language. He couldn't read it at all and part of him was starting to internally scream that this plan was a no-go. Prompto was about to say something but Evie beat him to it. "Uhh...sure!"

Prompto blinked and smiled even bigger that his face hurt. "Great!"

* * *

He had lost his sense of time after that. He arrived at his apartment at god knows what time with the brightest smile that could outshine the sun. Prompto had no idea how long he and Evie were at the gallery and at this point he didn't care.

The blonde plopped onto his gray couch and held up his phone in front of his face. The guys were going to keep pestering him about Evie if he didn't keep them updated. He tapped on the group chat icon.

 _'She said yes to a date TT o TT ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY NOW'_

Noctis was the first one to respond.

 _'Finally! = _ = we were wondering when you were gonna get the guts to ask her out. Just be yourself man'_

 _'Next challenge for you is to not scare her blondie'_

 _'Aww cmon big guy have some faith in me ; A ; i got this!'_

Ignis finally took part in the group chat.

 _'Congratulations, Prompto. I do hope you won't go overboard with the first date.'_

 _'Eeeehhh?! Whats that supposed to mean?!'_

He quickly got himself out of the group chat before the daily roasting began, but he knew that his friends meant well. Prompto went to his chat with Evie and he skimmed over their previous messages with a smile. This date was his moment to properly ask her out, and hopefully he wouldn't be stuttering all over the place like earlier today. He groaned and covered his face. He was such a _nerd_. At least he had time to plan for tomorrow.

Prompto immediately sat up. What _was_ he going to do for tomorrow? Gods he didn't think his plan would get this far. "She likes movies right?" He talked to himself and immediately started to go through some movie listings on his phone.

* * *

The next day Evie went through her usual routine with her mind constantly distracted. She and Prompto had been texting on and off and the details for their little outing later tonight were as vague as her professors' study guides. She had the nerve to _not_ tell Lyra for the sake of her sanity and now here she was, wondering what in the world this 'date' meant. Everyone had insisted that he had a thing for her and she was eager to believe it...but this little voice in her head carried a sliver of doubt and she was surprisingly listening to it occasionally.

Evie was now sitting in her room, drying off her hair with a towel. Lyra was on her way back from work so she still had a few moments of peace left before her friend would barge in and list off the stories that happened within the past 6 hours.

It was around 6 when she checked her phone. Didn't Prompto say he wanted to hang out around now? She was about to text him but it seemed like they were on the same wavelength.

 _'Hey im omw to your dorm. Are you ready?!'_

Well shit. She hopped off her chair and nearly fell over in the process.

 _'Yeah gimme a few minutes'_

 _'Alrighty :)'_

Lyra wouldn't believe how fast she got ready in 3 minutes. Evie ditched her shorts and tank top and went for skinny jeans and a warm, large knit sweater. Damn Prompto and his spontaneous personality. At least give her a 10 minute heads up! She went to the bathroom and rummaged for Lyra's hair dryer and fumbled to turn it on at full blast.

When she deemed her hair was dry enough she grabbed her jacket and put on her shoes. Her phone chimed with a new notification.

 _'Girl where u at'_

 _'I'm literally about to leave hang on a second lmao'_

Her heart thudded heavily as she made her way down the hall. She reached the elevator, the doors dinged open and she blinked as she saw Lyra standing inside, wearing her work uniform. "Oh hey girl!" Lyra greeted with a tired smile. "You going somewhere?"

"Yep." Evie said and the two switched sides.

" _Well_? Where are you going?" Lyra asked curiously as Evie quickly pressed the ground floor button. _Door please close. Please!_

"Getting food with Prompto." She said after getting enough nerves to say it as casual as possible.

It seemed that her spunky friend accepted the excuse. "Well have fun! I can't believe you guys aren't dating yet."

Evie smirked and rolled her eyes. "I'll see you later." She held her breath until the doors finally closed. The low hum of the elevator going down did little to calm her restlessness. When she finally reached the 1st floor she walked into the commons. No Prompto.

 _'I'm here. I don't see you'_

 _'Walkin through the doors'_

She looked up and sure enough she saw that familiar blob of blonde hair. Evie met up with him before he passed the RA's desk. "You're such a liar! I thought you were in the commons waiting for me." She laughed and shoved him gently.

"I didn't say that, so I didn't lie." His pout was replaced quickly with a smile. "C'mon! We're wasting time." Prompto put his hands on her shoulders and steered her outside.

The weather was slowly transitioning from crisp autumn to chilly winter, and the wind proved it when she had to shove her hands in her pockets. Thank goodness most of her hair was dry. They were walking down the campus path towards the city. "So what are we gonna do?" She asked. "The usual?"

"Actually I scored some tickets for this new movie," he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "it starts in thirty minutes."

She smiled. "Well let's get going! I don't wanna lose out on good seats!" While they were walking further into town, Prompto had managed to slide his arm around her shoulder. "By the way, what movie are we watching?"

The local movie theater was _full_ of people. Most of them consisted of people around their age, some were middle aged adults, and there were a handful of high schoolers. After they got past the ticketmaster they got their snacks. Evie hadn't been to the movies in _forever_. She had missed the smell of popcorn and fake butter.

Prompto went all out and got a large tub of popcorn and 2 drinks. He was insisting that he also buy the drinks but she wasn't having it. She felt guilty, knowing very well that both of them were somewhat broke college students. They both needed to share the pain of their wallets burning. The two went down their designated hall to find the correct number.

In speaking of the movie, turns out he picked the new horror movie that had be advertised for the past months. Prompto was petrified but he tried not to let it show. He did however say that he intended to get tickets for this one buddy cop movie...but he accidentally tapped on the wrong movie. (Mainly because he was so excited that he got a date with Evie, but he didn't mention that.)

Evie didn't mind horror movies, but she drew a line at the overdone slasher gory ones. They always made her lose her appetite.

"Let's see...theater 3…" It didn't take long for Evie to locate their room and she offered the door open for Prompto, who was already feasting upon the buttery goodness. They got settled into their seats just before the lights dimmed down for the previews.

"Do you even like horror movies?" Evie asked as the previews rolled on. Prompto shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth. He shrugged and waved his hand so-so.

"It's no big deal," he finally swallowed. "I've played horror games that were _terrifying_ so I've gotten pretty used to jumpscares and stuff."

Boy, Prompto was on such a lying streak. 30 minutes into the movie a dog leapt out from the far side of the screen just when the music started to pick up. Prompto jumped and nearly flung the popcorn over. Evie took that as an opportunity to take the tub out of his hands so he wouldn't give the poor people in front of him a popcorn shower.

The movie was pretty typical, though it had a more psychological aspect to it...and a few creepy moments that made Evie go "Wait _what_? How does _that_ happen?". Poor Prompto had his hand covering half of his face when the music started to get all tense and suspenseful. He kept on muttering to himself that _something_ was going to jump out. Honestly _he_ was making her more scared than the movie. Whenever he would start freaking out Evie couldn't help but feed off his energy and when the bigger scares would come up, both of them jumped and nearly screamed.

Prompto was leaning next to her, his hand was propping his head up on the armrest. "Why won't he just _die_ already?!" He hissed.

"Because everyone knows that killing the boss isn't easy. I thought you knew about the 3 kill rule for bosses!" She whispered. "Shh!"

He grumbled and reached over for another handful of popcorn. They were scratching at the bottom of the tub now, no thanks to Prompto's stress eating.

When the movie ended they trashed their empty cups and popcorn container. "Did you like the movie?" He asked after a few minutes of trying to act like he didn't just see some guy's arm get ripped off at the end of the movie. He practically paled when he saw one of his favorite animals go ballistic and tried to eat a man.

"Not a fan of horrors...the dog was _so annoying_ though! It kept on defying logic!" Evie exasperated.

"Ahh I'm sorry!" He shot her an apologetic frown. "Next time I'll be _sure_ not to pick a horror movie."

"It wasn't your fault, don't worry." She laughed. "I never realized how scared you are with horrors."

He puffed out his cheeks. "I was not! _You_ kept on screaming."

"That's because you kept on panicking! You were freaking me out." They left the movie theater and now they were back out on the streets of downtown Insomnia. The sidewalks were filled with citizens. Some looked like they just got off work, some were just starting their night. By now the streets were lit with a plethora of lights, signs, and car headlights. "How about we go to that chocobo café?"

His eyes immediately brightened. "Alright! It's not that far from here actually…" he looked at his phone to check the time. "I hope they're not going to close. Maybe if we run…"

"Prompto we are _not_ running. My legs just woke up from sitting so long."

"Ah c'mon, Eve." He wheedled. "You're no fun."

The two settled for walking. Evie wasn't too crushed with the idea of not being able to make it to Prompto's new favorite café. She was just glad that the offer of going to the chocobo café instantly made Prompto feel at ease. She could tell he didn't like that movie.

They approached the café within minutes but sure enough the café's lights were turned off, making the usually cheery coffeeshop look dreary and almost spooky-like.

As a consolation gift, Evie got themselves hot cocoa at a nearby street vendor. Prompto didn't protest as much as he did back at the movie theater and thanked her with a huge smile. The two kept on walking down the pavement, hands getting heated by the warm cups.

"This is fun," Evie managed to say, "we should do this more often."

"Not the horror movie right?" Prompto stared at her from his drink. She shook her head and he looked relieved. "Good. Oh―please don't tell Gladio, he won't let me down from that."

"Relax, your secret is safe with me. Besides, when's the next time I'm gonna see him?"

The blonde shrugged. Evie went back to think over Gladio's promise of them seeing more of each other. She tossed around the idea that it was possible to see him, since he was Noctis' bodyguard and Noctis was Prompto's best friend.

"I have a few ideas of what we can do, so we can alternate where we go." Evie added, feeling suddenly bold. Both of them stopped under a streetlamp.

"You want to do this again?" Prompto asked, eyes wide and eager. The rising blush on his face was making his freckles more noticeable. (Or maybe he was getting warm because of the hot chocolate). Regardless, Evie thought it was cute. "I-I mean, it's really fun hanging out with you so it's not a _bad_ thing," he rambled, "and yeah I'm totally up for things like this, if you aren't busy of course!" You could say he was just a bundle of nerves hopped up on sugar and adrenaline from the movie.

She laughed and willed herself to not look away. She took the time to examine him. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans with boots and a dark green military jacket with a light scarf draped over his neck. Since when did he wear that? She couldn't get enough of his hair though―she definitely could see him using a crap ton of hairspray that would make even Lyra faint. "You look cute today." Prompto's voice snapped her out of her staring and her face flushed. Shit he caught her staring. "Not that you don't look cute all the time!" He added, panicked.

"Relax," she laughed, recomposing herself. Evie tilted her head and gave him a smile. "You look nice too." _What the hell am I doing?_ Evie had to stop to think. Was she _really_ attempting to _flirt_? Prompto pursed his lips and rubbed the back of his neck again out of habit, his cheeks got darker in color.

Evie took a sip of her hot cocoa as if she was drinking liquid courage. "So...was the gallery thing yesterday just a ploy to ask me out?"

He widened his eyes. "Uhm! Was it that obvious?" He bit his lip. "W-well I mean, kinda? Yeah! Y-yeah it was." He had prepped himself all day to know what to say for this date but now everything he had rehearsed for was chucked out the window. "A-and not like just the usual food trip."

Evie for sure felt the heat rise to her cheeks now. Holy shit, was this actually happening? A part of her wanted to just cut to the chase because watching him stumble over his words was a mixture of cute and cringe.

"I've been thinking about it for a while but I didn't know when would be a good time since you're so busy with the paper and stuff―"

"Prompto."

He blinked. "Y-yeah?"

Evie's heart was speeding up. Her stomach was starting to do flips again. "Do you want to date?"

"Yes." He blurted out. Prompto paused, wishing that it didn't sound so desperate. "I-I mean, if you _want_ ―"

"Gods, Prompto!" She laughed. "I…I like the idea of 'us'. I wanna give it a shot."

Prompto looked _relieved_. His tense arms and face relaxed. It was a wonder how his cup managed to remain intact with his vice-like grip. "For a second I thought you were going to say no yesterday. I can finally breathe now." He exclaimed.

She furrowed her brows. "Why did you think that?"

"I dunno… I didn't think you'd be into a goofy guy like me."

Evie was the next one to be bewildered. "Are you kidding?! I thought this was just your usual personality. I didn't want to assume that you being nice to me meant that you _liked_ me."

"Ehhh, I'm like this all the time." He laughed. "And, well, I _do_ like you."

Evie smiled.

"I thought I was being super obvious…"

She was going to be greeted with a cake with "I told you so" in frosting on the top from Lyra for sure. Iris included. "Sometimes I wondered about it…and then I doubted myself."

Prompto shifted his weight onto his other leg. "Sooo, are we a thing now?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.

" _Yes_ , Prompto. We're a 'thing'." He beamed and immediately took out his phone. "What are you doing?"

"First date selfie!" He sang and quickly stood next to her. His head rested against hers and she couldn't help but smile. Yep. She could definitely smell a shit ton of hairspray. He snapped the picture and looked at it, humming to himself. "Ahhh we look so cute!" Prompto showed the photo with pride and Evie nodded her approval. In the photo she couldn't help but notice that both of them were blushing like a bunch of idiots.

Their drinks were long forgotten just like the chocobo café as they continued to wander throughout the city, talking and holding hands as if they've been doing it for weeks.

* * *

 **I'll be honest I couldn't stop smiling like a huge goof. I really hope this was a good amount of fluff for you all! I love reading your guys' reactions in your reviews. And there you have it! These two dorks are 'officially' dating now.**

 **I** _ **really**_ **hope you guys liked this chapter. This story is literally just fluff with usual college life happenings. Thanks for the previous reviews! I'll be back next week. With love,**

 **-Jen**


	8. This Could Be Something

**I passed my state exam so now I can (legally) work as a nursing assistant! Lord, I'm so done with exams.**

* * *

Chapter 8

This Could Be Something

 _What did I get myself into?_ Evie stood along the starting line of a chocobo race track along with Gladio and Ignis. She had her phone out to use as a timer. Prompto _insisted_ because he wanted to beat his old tim. Ignis and Gladio mentioned something on the lines of him wanting to impress his new girlfriend. Evie laughed and just went along with it.

"It's on Noct!" Prompto called out, perched on his chocobo, readying himself.

"I hope you realize you're gonna lose right in front of your girlfriend." Noctis replied. The blonde looked unfazed and threw a cheeky grin in Evie's direction.

 _3, 2, 1, go!_

The two leapt from the starting line, sprinting down the track leaving a cloud of dust in their wakes. Evie blinked. Those chocobos were just as a fast as today's events leading up to her spur-of-the-moment outing to the Wiz Chocobo Post. She honestly didn't expect this to happen on her day off from classes, but now dating Prompto she had to realize that this was probably going to be a normal occurrence.

* * *

It started as a normal, lazy morning for Evie. It had been a week since they both fumbled to agree to start dating, and honestly things weren't any different except for occasional hand holding and hugs. The food date atmosphere didn't change and Evie felt as comfortable as she should be. She'd admit that this was the first relationship she had when there wasn't any awkwardness to begin with.

Her phone buzzed just as she woke up.

"I bet you one gil that that's Prompto." Lyra sang as she brushed her hair in front of a mirror.

" _One_? Not much of a gamble." Evie murmured and sat up. Her morning voice was low and crackly.

Lyra turned around with a melodramatic sweep. "Hun, I'm a student. I can't risk losing money I don't have."

"But you wouldn't lose any money…"

"So you admit it!" Lyra pointed the brush at Evie and laughed. "Gods you guys are _so cute_ together."

She rolled her eyes and opened her phone.

' _Eve. I have a super important question ok i hope ur awake'_

Evie snorted un-ladylike.

' _Yes Prompto?'_

' _Omw to the cafeteria. Wanna meet me there? Ill pay ^ _ ^'_

' _Dude you paid last time. I'll pay'_

' _So youre coming?! :D and dont worry i gotchu covered'_

' _Yes you dork. Seriously though I'll pay'_

' _Uuuuuugh you better hurry T ~ T IM HUNGRY'_

Evie kicked off her covers. Lyra glanced at Evie from the mirror. "Another food escapade?"

"Why do you ask if you know the answer?" Evie inquired with a stretch of her arms. Lyra just hummed to herself as she got ready for work. She was a receptionist at a doctor's clinic and had a collection of hot guy spottings in the waiting room, including crabby patient stories.

Evie got up from bed by the time Lyra signed off to work, finally giving her a moment of peace to get ready and not have her thoughts interrupted.

She was finally at the cafeteria and sure enough she found Prompto standing just outside the room where the lines for food were. They met up and Prompto slung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as they walked inside. "I'm _starving_." Prompto whined. "I was about to give up on waiting and start buying everything off the menus."

"I thought you said Ignis would cook and leave leftovers?"

He slumped his shoulders. "That's only when Noct's at my place. Iggy's food is so good though I go through three days worth of leftovers in one day."

"That good huh?"

"You bet!" He laughed. The two got in line, both of them were eyeing the stacks of pancakes that were freshly put out. While they were waiting their hands bumped into each other's. Prompto's hand did a double-take and wrapped his fingers around her hand. Evie smiled and held his in return. "Hey, we should eat outside today. It's nice out!" He said.

They got their food and Evie lead him to the registers, their hands were still entwined. She set down her box to fish out her card from her wallet. She made to drop his hand, but he kept their fingers locked. "I kinda need to pay with this hand."

Prompto shook his head as if he were lost in thought and immediately let go. "Whoops, sorry."

Evie didn't miss the smirk she got from the cashier, an older lady who had been working the same register since Evie was a freshman, and handed her the card. When everything was paid for they went to the patio out back.

They claimed a table that was shaded by the roof's overhang. It was a surprisingly nice day for late autumn. It was uncharacteristically warm and the sun hung high in the sky with no clouds in sight. Too bad it was going to immediately start cooling down the next week. Evie cracked open her orange juice and took a sip.

"So what are you doing today?" Prompto asked as he started cutting into his pancakes.

"Uhh, probably nothing besides working on homework or unless if you wanted to hang out." She said. He threw her a grin, making her sit straight up with a wary expression. "You have something planned don't you." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Let's go ride chocobos."

Evie blinked. "When?"

"Today!"

She glanced around. "What time?"

"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully and checked his phone, "in thirty minutes? Iggy's gonna drive us all."

She couldn't believe this boy. Did he plan this or was this just a classic Prompto-move? Regardless she was bewildered enough to process his offer. Wait… _us all_? "'All' as in…" she started, curiosity piqued.

"Gladio, Noct, the whole gang!" Prompto twirled his fork in the air absentmindedly. "Ignis is determined to believe that you're not real."

She furrowed her brows. "Then who does he think you're dating?"

He pursed his lips and tilted his head to one side with a smile. "A really cute ghost?"

Evie rolled her eyes and started eating her breakfast. She had a feeling she was going to need it for the long day ahead of her.

When they finished their food, sure enough they found Ignis parked along the curb just sitting in front of the main entrance onto campus. Evie's expectation of Prince Noctis' advisor was satisfactory if not above. A fancy car, a fancy suit, a fancy voice, and a fancy car to top it all. All of that together could easily be more than her college tuition. She was somewhat intimidated when she met the gaze of the stoic-looking man.

"It seems Prompto gave his word." Ignis said. He was standing beside the car, tucking his phone away in his jacket pocket. "Evie, I presume?"

"You presume correctly." She said and the two reached out for a light handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure."

"See I _told_ you she was real!" Prompto huffed and only frowned when Ignis proceeded to ignore him.

"Do forgive me. I was sure this was another attempt at fooling me, but it seems as though I have been proved wrong."

She shrugged. "It's no big deal." Evie looked around. "I'm assuming we're waiting for the prince then?"

"Oh man he better not be sleeping in." A wave of dread filled Prompto's tone. "I told him―"

"―nine-thirty, I know, I _know_." A tired voice came from behind Evie's left.

"I was about to tear down his door if he didn't wake… well, well, well who do we have here?" _That_ voice Evie could remember. She turned around to see none other the prince and his Shield. "So you're coming with us, Evie?" Gladiolus asked with an amused grin.

"Apparently. It would've been great if Prompto gave me a heads up." She looked over at chocobo-haired boy who just smiled innocently and shrugged. Evie's eyes then went to the sleepy-eyed prince. She knew what he looked like, but it was strange to see him up-close. If she didn't know any better she could've just mistaken him for a typical college student. He didn't really carry around a 'princely aura' if you will. "Well it's finally nice to meet you," she paused for a split second. _Shit what do I call him? By his name? No… maybe later._ "Your Highness." Evie gave him a half smile and offered her hand.

He took it. "Same."

"I do apologize. The Regalia will be a bit of a squeeze; the fifth seat isn't much." Ignis' voice piped up. He eyed Prompto. "If I'd known you were coming, Evie, I could have made some alterations."

"It's fine. I don't take up that much space." She said.

* * *

And so here she was at the chocobo post. The ride to the post was long enough that it made sitting in the middle awkward and physically uncomfortable. Gladio was sitting next to her and Prompto on the other. Gladio was so _damn huge_ she had to scoot a bit more over to Prompto. He didn't seem to mind, but she felt so closed in. Even though it was comfortably built for _four_ people, _damn_ the Regalia was fine. If given the opportunity to drive it she would decline in fear of accidentally getting it scratched.

"So who usually wins?" Evie asked, eyeing the timer. Occasionally she could see bright colors of the chocobos' feathers poke out from behind the distant trees and such.

"Noct creams the poor kid. But when Noct races me, he gets his ass handed back to." Gladio was the one to answer. He wore a proud smile. "Iggy doesn't go down without a fight either."

"Do you guys just stay here at the post all day? Prompto said you guys have been everywhere."

"It's usually Prompto's idea of loitering around. It doesn't take much for him to convince His Highness to go along with his idea. However we do rent the chocobos from time-to-time." Ignis answered this time. Evie smiled at the thought. It wasn't hard to see Prompto opting to stay and ride around on chocobos all day. To be honest she didn't really think anyone could go against his pleading smiles when he wanted something. She had fallen for that trick once or twice when it came to their food escapades.

In the distance, Evie could hear the squawks from the large birds and yelling from the riders. _They're back already?_ Evie peered over and sure enough she saw Noctis and Prompto neck and neck at the last stretch for the finish line.

"Hmm, calling it close." Gladio observed. "You've never seen chocobos in real life right? Prompto was freaking out about it a few days ago."

 _So he_ was _planning this? Ah, it's hard to say_. "I'm not surprised he told you guys."

"Hope you're prepared in getting your ear talked off." He chuckled.

The two birds crossed the line and skidded to a halt. Evie waved the clouds of dust circling around. "Ahh, who won? Who won?!" Prompto asked eagerly.

"Since I always beat you, how about we just say that I did again?" Noctis smirked.

"No way, man. Evie! What's my time?" He asked, beaming.

 _Oh shit―_ Evie scrambled to stop the timer. "Forgot to stop it…"

Prompto slumped over. "Eeeeve!"

She slid the phone back in her pocket. "Let's just say you were really _really_ fast."

"Did you see who won at least?"

"Ahh," she paused. "I was talking to Gladio. I didn't see." She said sheepishly.

"Gladio!"

The bodyguard laughed and ran a hand through his hair as if to make a point. "Sorry my looks distracted her, Blondie."

It was apparent that Ignis was the only one who saw the outcome of the race and, despite Prompto's prodding, the spectacled man refused to say who rose as the victor. Prompto looked deflated for half a second before realizing that Evie still hadn't gotten on a chocobo yet. He quickly pushed her off to the stables and was insistent on teaching her the ropes instead of the actual ranch hands. Gladio wasn't wrong when he said she would get her ear talked off. She couldn't stop Prompto even if she wanted to. His enthusiasm was so cute to her.

"They're super friendly, so you don't need to be nervous." He said, gently patting the large bird. Evie followed and nearly had to stop herself from falling into the pool of fluffy feathers. She gave him a look of awe and he nodded. "I _know_ right? They're really soft." He laughed. "Here, here, I'll show you how to get on…"

In the next few stables over, the guys had already gotten on their chocobos, admiring the sight of their blonde friend enthusiastically showing his significant other his favorite animal in the world.

"Well I'll be damned. This is kind of cute." Noct commented with a smirk.

Gladio huffed although lowkey enjoying the sight. "It's _too_ cute."

"Hmm," the prince tilted his head, giving a sideways glance to his Shield, "I bet she'll whoop his ass at racing."

"You throwing money in it?"

"Gentlemen I believe that we can all agree that Ms. Evie will surpass Prompto. Gambling over something this obvious is, frankly, a waste of gil."

"Ah c'mon Specs, it just makes it more fun." Noctis looked over at Ignis and then at the pairing a couple stables down. Evie had managed to get herself situated before she and him trotted up to the rest of their group. Both he and Gladio wore this smug grin Prompto didn't notice, but Evie did. She didn't bring it up however and eventually they all went off in their own directions, leaving Prompto and Evie still loitering outside the post just so Evie could get used to her newly acquainted fluffy friend.

"Sooo," he hummed as he settled for trotting beside her, "how is it?"

To be honest Evie was both terrified and excited. It wasn't like driving a car―no this thing, this _chocobo_ , was a _living_ thing and it somehow felt surreal to her. It didn't help that chocobos' usual gait was at a trot and not a _walk_.

"I don't know," she let out a nervous laugh. "I feel like I'll fall off. I can't imagine _sprinting_ down the road."

"Well it's not like we're running straight into a mob of monsters." Evie paled.

Her stomach dropped. "You do _what_?" He never mentioned fighting off deranged creatures during his summer escapades. Well he had good reason because her first reaction would be the same regardless of when he would tell her: panic.

Prompto widened his eyes immediately sensing her uneasiness. "Y-yeahh," he scratched the back of his neck, looking away from Evie's gaze, "it happens. Sometimes the guys and I take up hunting to get some extra cash."

"Isn't that... _dangerous_?"

"It _can_ be, but we got each other's backs. But you know what?"

"What?"

"You could say it's a _roaring_ good time." He flashed her a toothy grin at an attempt of a pun. Evie snorted. "Ayyy, was that a good one?"

"Not in the slightest."

Prompto pouted.

Feeling somewhat more comfortable, she kicked the chocobo gentle on it sides to make it go faster. Prompto easily followed in her step. Evie glanced over her shoulder, looking at his chocobo and then at his hair. A mischievous grin curled her lips and she giggled.

"What is it?"

"Chocobo butt." She told him simply and started running off further into the woods. She could hear Prompto calling after her, no doubt unhappy with the name. Evie laughed as she and her chocobo raced through the grassy terrain. She felt free, loving the sound of the air whoosh through her ears despite the chill the autumn air gave her. This beat riding in a car by a long shot.

She heard the sound of loud footsteps coming up from behind her and sure enough Prompto was at her side. "You're it!" He sang and sprinted off leaving her in the dust.

"Hey! I can't go that fast!"

They cleared the woods and they found themselves at a vast plain with rolling hills and a lake in the distance. Gosh, it was breathtaking. Despite her speed it felt like the world was going past her in slow motion. The sky seemed bluer out here than when it was in the city. The fresh, crisp air was refreshing―invigorating. The vast land seemed to stretch on forever as did the sky with no signs of civilization.

In the distance she could see Prompto's bright yellow chocobo sweeping up and over hills. Okay, enough sightseeing. She needed to catch up. She squeezed the reigns and kicked again. "Let's go!" The chocobo squawked in recognition and she zoomed down the hill they just raced over. Evie let out a surprised squeak. It felt like she was going a million miles an hour. The ground around her seemed to warp away as she practically flew across the plains with leaps and bounds. Her heart was beating heavy and fast as she caught up to Prompto in no time.

"Tag you're it!" Evie called out and zipped past him without slowing down.

Their game of tag went on until they reached the lake. It felt _strange_ to be just standing still now. The voice in her head urged her to keep running, but she felt bad for her poor chocobo. She didn't know if she wore the poor thing out or not.

"Oh my gosh," she laughed followed by a sigh, "this is so much fun. And to think I thought the city was beautiful."

They stood at the shore of the lake. The water lapped up to their chocobo's feet quietly and lazily―the total opposite of Prompto and Evie's game of tag. Evie ran a hand through her hair. No doubt it was flying in all sorts of directions, but she was thankful for her short hair.

 _Click_.

The shutter of the camera snapped out of her reverie. She found Prompto's face hiding behind a camera. He smiled at what he took. "A warning would be nice!" She protested.

"That defies the logic of a candid shot!" He mused. "Besides, you look pretty." Evie rolled her eyes. Her chocobo shook its head as if it could sense the cheesiness from that line. "Y'know, I've never seen you smile or laugh this much." He said, tucking away his camera.

Of course she smiled. "Oh?"

"I need to take you to the chocobo post more often. I like seeing you smile."

Heat rushed to her cheeks. _How is he so damn sweet all the time?_ "I smile all the time when I'm around you. It's not _just_ the chocobos―although it's a huge factor." It was Prompto's turn for his face to go all red.

They spent the next hour or so hanging around the lake, giving their rentals a break. The lake was too cold to dip her feet in, so Evie resorted to just sitting on the rocks that stood at the edge of the water. Prompto had been taking scenery shots in the meantime. Some of his pictures included animals, some with Evie, some with her completely unaware, others she smiled for or made a goofy face.

The gunslinger took pride in all of his photos when he showed her what he got when he seated himself next to her. He occasionally glanced up at her while she looked at the screen. Sometimes he caught her smiling and his heart did a flip every time he saw it. _She_ is _really pretty._ She handed him back his camera and he quickly leaned over next to her with his arm around her shoulder. "Say cheese!" He exclaimed and took several selfies.

* * *

The sun was on its path of descent when they all reconvened at the Regalia. She never realized that she spent the entire day running around on chocobos until she finally sat down in the car. Her butt and legs were definitely sore but it was manageable.

During the day she and Prompto ran into the guys. Noctis goaded Evie and Prompto to do a race back at the post, but his attempts at trying to see to the end of the bet were fruitless. Evie wasn't in the mood for racing, nor did she feel like she could be able to maneuver through a narrow course. She was just getting used to running in the open! However, Evie promised that the next time they went out to the post she would consider it.

In speaking of races, she _did_ manage to watch the rest of the guys race each other. It was fun to see their reactions as to who won, especially when Noctis lost to Gladio. The wins seemed to inflate Gladio's already sky-high confidence, which made the bitter prince demand rematch after rematch.

Finally it was time to head back, and despite Evie's weary mind and body, she didn't want to leave. As they drove through the winding countryside roads, the wind got chillier as the sun went down. Evie's thin jacket was all she brought, and again it would've been helpful if Prompto gave her heads up so she could bring something warmer. She shivered as the late autumn chill started to settle into her bones. Prompto beside her noticed it. "You cold?"

"Just about." She cracked a smile and scrunched her hands in her sleeves and stuffed them in her pockets. Prompto fumbled in his seat before he successfully took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Noctis sat on the other side of her and Gladio in the passenger's seat. (It seemed Gladio got her subtle hint that they were packed almost like sardines in the back. Now she had more space to breathe.) Both of them gave each other smirks. Prompto stared at his friends, but they continued on and looked at the passing scenery with practiced nonchalance. She muttered a quiet thank-you, relishing in the added warmth around her body. His jacket smelled of bright citrus and a bit of hairspray. She smirked at the last one.

Ignis took a glance from the rear-view mirror. "Would you like the roof up? I suspected it was going to grow colder later tonight."

"Oh― yeah that would be great actually. Thanks." She smiled at his reflection. The roof went up in no time and immediately she started to warm up again.

She didn't know when, but she ended up dozing off. Noctis and Evie appeared to be on the same wavelength because both of them were conked out. Her head lulled to one side and ended up resting on Prompto's shoulder. He immediately stiffened up and looked down at the sleeping girl next to him. He held in his breath as if afraid to wake her. Inside the car it was quiet. The radio was off, and with the roof up the usual sound of wind barrelling on was muted. Even the engine ran at a low hum despite how fast they were going.

The sky was dark by the time they got to the University of Insomnia with Prompto and Evie as the first people to be dropped off. Prompto un-clicked his seatbelt and said softly in Evie's ear. "You awake, Eve? This is our stop."

At least she was easier to wake than Noctis. She elicited a groan. Her eyes were clouded with sleep she could barely open them. "Nnng," she said groggily, "I don't wanna get up."

Prompto chuckled and poked her cheek. "C'mon."

"Hey Blondie, d'you want me to to carry her?" Gladio inquired, no doubt his comment was a little prod to the boy's lack of physique compared to the Shield.

The freckled boy frowned and immediately went to defend his pride. " _No_ you don't need to. I can totally carry her." He said pointedly and helped Evie out of the car, who was too tired to pay attention to the banter. She was awake enough to stand on her feet and thank the guys before closing the door behind her. Prompto waved off to Ignis and the advisor acknowledged him before he pulled out onto the road. The Regalia's tail lights disappeared from Prompto's view in no time.

It occurred to him that Ignis dropped them off in front of his apartment building, which was a bit of a walk to Evie's dorm. "H-hey, Eve?" He asked.

Evie rubbed the sleep from her eyes to no avail. "Yeah?" She yawned.

"Do you want me to walk you to your dorm? It's dark and Iggy dropped us at my place."

She groaned. Her body was drowning in fatigue. "No more walking."

"Sooo, my place then?"

Evie nodded and sleepily followed Prompto back to his apartment complex. Thank the Six his apartment was on the second floor because those were the only set of stairs Evie could conquer before falling asleep again.

They went inside and Prompto flicked on the lights. Both of them groaned at the sudden harsh lights. "Hey, where's your bathroom?"

"Hmm? Oh, straight ahead. Door on the left."

Evie nodded sleepily and disappeared behind the bathroom door with a small click. Evie had been in Prompto's apartment before, albeit only for a few minutes since he would just dip in to grab something last minute before they went off. Prompto was glad he got the chance to tidy up a bit and declutter the coffee table that used to be littered with takeout boxes and candy wrappers.

He meandered to the kitchen and started rifling through his fridge to snag a juice box from the door. Once again, low on meals, bountiful in sugary snacks. The clock over the stove read 9 and physically he was exhausted, but his brain was ready to run a mile. Maybe they could watch a movie if Evie wasn't too sleepy?

The bathroom door swung open and Evie emerged with a more awake face, but it was evident that she was tired. He tilted his head with an inquisitive smile, getting a look at her wearing his jacket. She looked cute in it. "Juice box?" He gestured to his.

She shook her head with a chuckle. "No thanks."

"Okay," he hopped on over to a few cabinets, "if you're hungry and you want _food-_ food, you're out of luck. _However_ , if you want snacks then a feast awaits you." He said and opened the cabinets with a flourish. Popcorn, pretzels, candy of all sorts, you name it, he had it.

"Now I know why Ignis worries over you and Noctis' eating habits." She snickered with a sleepy smile.

He pursed his lips and gestured to the snacks. "Any takers?" He proceeded to grab a bag of popcorn anyways. "We can watch a movie if you want."

"No horror movie, right?"

"Hell no."

* * *

Evie had traded Prompto's jacket for the fuzzy blanket that was draped over the couch and soon enough both of them were curled up underneath it with a popcorn bowl sandwiched inbetween them. Prompto's selection was a _musical_. It just seemed to fit his personality so well.

The popcorn was long gone halfway into the movie and Evie found herself situated closer to him with the popcorn bowl out of the way. Prompto was humming along to the song that was playing and didn't seem to notice that Evie scooted closer until her head was resting on his shoulder once again. The chocobo outing was finally taking its toll on her.

"Eve don't fall asleep yet! We haven't gotten to my favorite scene!" He whined petulantly.

"If it's not showing in five minutes I'm going to sleep." She grumbled as her eyelids started to sag. Not even two minutes passed before she fell out of consciousness. Prompto glanced down at her when he sensed a steady pattern of her breathing. He hesitated, wondering if she wanted to sleep somewhere more comfortable at least and he could take the couch, but he didn't find it in himself to stir her. He looked on at the movie and slowly snaked his arm around her waist. Eh. The couch was big enough for both of them.

It appeared that Evie's sleepiness was contagious because moments later the blonde found himself yawning. After some mental debating, he called it quits on the musical and turned off the tv.

The two ended up lying on the couch, Evie curled up facing towards him, fast asleep. Prompto smiled to himself as he followed Evie's lead into the depths of sleep.

* * *

 **Oh my god this chapter went on longer than I expected. Almost 5000 words! Onto typing up the next one! Glad you guys liked last chapter's fluff heheh.**

 **-Jen**


	9. Please Don't Touch

**I want to thank you guys for your feedback! Glad this story is up to par with its fluffiness from our chocodork. Though I feel like I might reach a limit of fluff so let's take it down a notch or two, shall we? ;)**

* * *

Chapter 9

Please Don't Touch

Evie inhaled sharply at the sound of low murmuring in her ear. She sprung up from the couch and fell over thanks to the blanket that was entangled with her feet. The loud _'thump'_ was enough to wake Prompto. Evie groaned and rubbed the arm she landed on. Pain shot up her arm and into her shoulder like a shock of electricity before it dulled to a slow throb. Thank goodness she didn't smash her head on the coffee table.

"Eve?" Prompto groaned in a gravelly voice.

"Shit," she winced and grabbed onto the couch to pull herself up. "Sorry, did I wake you up?" Her calm voice contradicted a sudden wave of anxiety that washed over her.

"You leapt off the couch." He sat up and rolled out his neck. "Bad dream?"

"No."

Prompto rubbed his eyes. His shirt was all wrinkled and his hair was matted down on one side. Evie snorted at the sight and pointed to her own head in comparison. "Your hair…"

His hand immediately went up to his blonde locks, frantically feeling around. "If you mention chocobo butts again―"

"Relax," she laughed, "it just looks funny."

He squinted at her, pouting. Evie found herself at ease once again, but she couldn't help but linger in her memories of what happened last night. Did she just pass out on the couch? " _Your_ hair looks funny." Prompto retorted before kicking the blanket off of his feet.

"No it doesn't." She defended.

"Whatever you say," he sang and got up. He glanced at her equally wrinkled jacket and shirt. "I'm gonna change. Wanna borrow a shirt?"

She blinked and looked down at her outfit from yesterday. Guess she could at least swap out her old shirt for something clean. "Uhm, yeah, sure." She said after a moment of thinking. Prompto nodded and quickly went off to his room. Evie took this opportunity to clean up the remnants of their movie night and placed the popcorn bowl in the sink. Her dry and scratchy throat finally convinced her to grab a water bottle from Prompto's fridge and she twisted it open while she casually surveyed the open floored apartment. It was small, but then again it was just him living there. The living room, which had a huge tv and couch, flowed into the kitchen and the only rooms that were closed off was the bathroom and his room.

Evie took a swig from her water by the time Prompto emerged from his room, now wearing long jeans and a fresh dark gray t-shirt. His hair looked a little less ridiculous, but some strands still stuck out.

"Here y'go." He said, offering a shirt that was in his hand. Evie thanked him and quickly changed in the bathroom. When she put on the shirt, she wadded up her old shirt and jacket in a ball and took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. The red shirt looked huge on her despite the fact that both of them were of similar height, and it said 'Insomnia's Finest' on the front. She sniffed, surprised he didn't hand her a chocobo themed shirt. What appeared to be a constant, however, was this faint smell of citrus with a bit of mint.

Evie ran her hands through her hair a couple more times before leaving the bathroom to find Prompto staring at the mostly empty fridge. "Do you have _any_ food in there?" Evie called out.

"I meeaan," he drawled out, "we have eggs." He finished pathetically.

"Then eggs it is. My wallet needs to take a break."

Prompto laughed and took out a carton of eggs from the fridge. He hummed a tune and took out a pan from one of the cabinets. "I'm not Ignis-level when it comes to cooking, but I can cook better than Noct at least."

"By how much? I rather not get poisoned." She smirked when Prompto pouted childishly. She had learned more about the guys during her outing yesterday, not to mention she also had a small meal courtesy of Ignis. She didn't remember what it was she ate (because she was so tired) but it was easily the _best_ thing she had. The flavors were blended so well together, not to mention it smelled _heavenly_. Evie couldn't imagine how amazing it must've been to have gourmet meals prepared for you every single day, which gave her a pang of jealousy towards Noctis.

"Eve, I―for one―am offended," he announced, putting a hand over his heart with feigned hurt, "I'll have you know that I can bake a mean batch of cupcakes."

"Baking and cooking are different things."

His frown grew and he stuck his tongue out at her. He did a subtle double-glace at his shirt Evie was wearing before turning on the stove.

Breakfast consisted of both of them chipping in after Prompto accidentally cracked an egg on the counter, and there were only 4 more left in the carton so Evie didn't want to risk actually having to go out to get food for breakfast. It was so strange actually making food, let alone with another person. Evie couldn't remember a time where she actually cooked food in an appropriate kitchen. Maybe in high school, but she hadn't touched a stove since starting college.

It would've seemed like this was a normal occurence, them cooking in the kitchen, if it wasn't for Evie keeping a good amount of distance from him. Once in a while Prompto would lean over her shoulder, impatient for the food, and after telling him four times to wait, Evie let him go. His hand would go on her waist as he watched the food sizzle in the pan and she did her best to hide a grimace and nonchalantly pushed his hand off, claiming he was going to distract her.

Now they were sitting at the island's counter, eating away at their breakfast. "So what happened last night? I was too tired to remember everything." She asked.

"Hmm? Well Iggy dropped us off here. You were too tired to go back so we crashed here instead."

"I know _that_. I mean, when we got inside. Did we just watch a movie?"

Prompto finished off his glass of orange juice. "Mhmm! You slept just before it was getting good!"

"I was _tired_." She defended. "It's not like I take random drives into the countryside and stay there _all day_."

"Aww c'mon," he poked at her, "it was fun and you know it."

"Prompto, please." She swatted his hand away.

He grinned. "You didn't deny it."

"Well who _doesn't_ like chocobos?"

"Heartless monsters, that's who."

They continued to eat breakfast with idle chatter, Prompto contributing the most. He couldn't help but glance over his plate to see Evie, gaze somewhere else as if she were lost in thought. He waved a hand in front of her face. "Eve!"

She snapped up and dropped her fork with a loud clatter. The kitchen fell silent momentarily before she quickly picked it up. "Sorry, did I zone out?"

"Are you too much in awe with my cooking?" He inquired with a cheeky grin.

" _I_ made breakfast you goof," she rolled her eyes with a small chuckle.

After breakfast, Prompto persuaded Evie to a game. It was a fighting game: _Mortal Kombat_ or whatever it was. He taught her the basics, how to punch, kick, and block. He mentioned something about combos but at that point all she could really hope for was land a final blow after a series of button smashing.

The two sat next to each other on the couch for a couple hours. Throughout this time of gameplay the girl never realized how competitive she was until after she killed Prompto for the first time. It managed to spark a fire she never knew she had and they kept on yelling at each other, themselves, and sometimes they were just silent. Evie wondered if he let her win a couple rounds, but she was proven wrong when she got her ass handed back to her after he completely destroyed her with a 10 win streak.

Evie sighed loudly and flumped back into the couch, dropping the controller in her lap. "Lemme guess: it took you a day to become a pro at this."

"I don't mean to brag but," he gave a coy grin and stretched out his back with his hands behind his head, probably as a not-so-subtle way of trying to flex in front of her, "you could say that."

She snorted and reached over to playfully smack his shoulder. While playing the game Evie managed to scoot away from him so he wouldn't potential sabotage her in the rounds. Not like he needed to anyways.

"Another round? I have more games y'know." He said, gesturing to a black bookcase entirely devoted to video games that stood next to the tv. Each shelf was for a different console. _How many years did it take for him to build up this collection?_

Evie rubbed at a raw spot on her thumb thanks to button mashing and looked at her phone and paled. Four missed calls from Lyra and a handful of texts. She totally forgot to tell Lyra she would be out for the day yesterday...not to mention she slept over at Prompto's.

"Shit," she cursed and put the controller on the table. "Lyra beckons." Despite the all knowing feeling that she was going to get an earful from Lyra, Evie was feeling a different emotion when she got up to get her things. Her stomach had been twisted for the past hour and it didn't seem to relax until now.

Prompto puffed out his cheeks. "Aww man. Do you really have to go though?"

She scurried over to the kitchen chair to where her clothes were and draped her shirt and jacket over her arm. "I might as well to prove I haven't been stabbed in the neck. Besides," she shoved her phone in her pocket, "finals are coming up. Gotta start printing out those study guides."

The blonde pushed himself from off the couch. "You want me to walk you back?"

She shook her head, already making it for the door. "You don't have to." Her voice sounded perkier than her usual range.

He furrowed his brows ever-so slightly. Evie had her hand on the doorknob when he stopped her. "Eve."

"Yeah?"

He chewed the inside of his cheek. "You okay?"

She bristled as she turned to face him. "Why wouldn't I be?" Evie shrugged her shoulders slightly. A nervous chuckle came from the back of her throat, "I'm just dreading on my impending doom with Lyra. She'll nonstop ask me questions when she finds me."

"Nah," Prompto immediately brightened up, "forget it." His eyes went down to the shirt she was wearing. A small tinge of pink went to his freckled cheeks as his hand went to the hem of it. His fingers toyed with the material idly. "You look really cute in that." He murmured.

Her chest tightened up. Evie was moments from opening the door, but his presence drew her closer to him like a moth to light. Her breath was caught up in her throat when his hand slowly moved to hers. Their fingers slowly interlaced together as he stepped forward, his brilliant blue eyes gazed at hers, silently asking a question. His eyes then dropped her lips and before she knew it she found herself leaning in, but then she stopped abruptly like a car slamming on its brakes at a sudden red light. Evie pulled away, much to Prompto's surprise, and opened the door.

"I'll see you later." She breathed, mind still whirring.

"A-ahh, okay." He said, trying to resync his mind to mouth. Their hands untangled themselves and Evie gave him a small smile before closing the door in front of him.

Prompto stood at the door, motionless. Did something go wrong? Oh Six, did he say something weird?! He clutched at his head, dumbfounded. His inner voice was as loud as his heartbeat as he remained planted in the same spot where Evie left him. After a moment of what felt like forever, he exhaled and rubbed the back of his head. "Man…" he slumped back over to his spot on the couch, still tense, and stared at the paused game.

* * *

Evie was in her dorm's common room when she ran into Lyra, who was lounging on the couch with her laptop open and earbuds in. When her friend spotted her, she flagged her down and paused her music. Evie heaved in a sigh, suddenly feeling a fresh wave of panic and reluctance wash over her.

"Dude where the hell were you yesterday―" Lyra paused in mid-rant when her eyes flickered to the unfamiliar shirt Evie was sporting, "who's shirt is that?" She asked, even though the glint in her eyes gave away the fact she new who the owner was.

"Prompto's, and―can you believe it―I was at the Wiz Chocobo Post all day. Prompto took me along and―"

"You spent the night at Prompto's."

Evie rolled her eyes with a huff. "I don't know why I bother explaining things if you already know what I'm gonna say." She took a seat next to her friend.

Lyra typed away at her laptop. "A text would've been nice. I figured you would be with Prompto because who else would you hang out with all day?" Her friend clicked around and typed a few things in their small pause of silence before she closed her laptop. She situated herself so that she was properly facing Evie whilst carrying an uncommon expression: worry. "You said you spent the night at Prompto's…" she said slowly.

The redhead nodded, unclenching her fists she hadn't realized were until now. Her knuckles were white and the articles of clothing in her arms had crisp wrinkles of where she held on.

"Are you okay?"

Evie let her head drop back with a groan. "I thought I would be. I was―I mean. I was tired so I didn't really care. We slept on the couch and then we made breakfast today."

Lyra smiled. "That's cute!" She squealed.

"And we played a video game...and then you texted me and I was about to leave." Evie then looked down at the jacket in her lap, letting the memories play back like a film strip. "We almost kissed and then I just up and left."

A pregnant pause fell in between them, which left Evie to mull over her thoughts.

"Evie," Lyra started, pulling her out of her train of thought, "personally I don't think Prompto would be that kind of guy. A kiss is innocent."

She gave a sniff of disapproval. "It starts off as that, yeah."

Lyra gave her a hard stare. "Do you really think Prompto would start right off the bat? He _definitely_ isn't Leander." She huffed as she crossed her arms. "I still wanna kick his ass."

"You still see him on campus?"

"Ugh," she shuddered with a look of disgust, "I wish I don't. He still glares at me whenever we walk past each other, like _excuse me_ , asswipe."

To cut it short, Leander was Evie's ex. Things led to another, and eventually Evie called it quits after four months after having her suspicions that he was just using her to pass the time. Her theories weren't proven correct, but Evie didn't want to find out.

It didn't help when a year later when she was with another guy and he was _very_ handsy feely with her, constantly pressuring her to doing stuff she _clearly_ told him she didn't feel that emotionally invested in yet. They broke up a month in the relationship and he transferred to another university the semester after.

"I prefer you don't kick in his face because he'll just charge you with assault. I rather not have my best friend get caught up with the law." Evie muttered, although the thought of Lyra giving him a good punch tantalized her imagination.

"Look," Lyra said, "I know you haven't had the _best_ luck with guys, but you can't just assume Prompto is another one them."

"I'm not! But can you blame me if I'm paranoid?"

"No, but could you at least tell him?"

"I think bringing up bad exes aren't a good idea."

Lyra sat there, stunned. " _Girl_. I actually _like_ Prompto and I wouldn't mind him sticking around! He has my stamp of approval, so I expect you to grow a pair and confront him about this."

Evie just sighed.

"Seriously, Prompto's a good guy. Iris says so, and I believe her." Lyra pointed her lips, looking around with an impish smile. "To be honest I've ran into Iris and Prompto when I have class a couple times. I had lunch with Prompto once."

The redhead blinked. "Wait _what_? You had lunch with Prompto? When was this?"

"Honey," she deadpanned, "I'm your best friend, so of course I'm going to inspect your new boyfriend." A laugh escaped her lips. "He's head-over-heels for you. He won't stop smiling when he talks about you."

"I'm not shocked about _that_. I mean―I am, but Prompto and I have been getting food almost every day! How did you manage to get food with him?"

"It was that _one_ day, Evie, that you didn't go out for food so I took the opportunity myself."

"So you planned a lunch date with him?"

"Pffft! I'm just messing with you. I was just leaving the cafeteria and I saw him sitting at a table so I dropped by to say 'hi'. Do you honestly think I have time to actually _plan_ that?"

 _I know someone else who doesn't plan anything_. She thought to herself.

"So," she resumed her chipper voice as she leaned in, "what was Gladiolus like? Oh _wait_ ―what's Noctis like?!" Lyra wiggled her eyebrows. This Lyra paled harshly against the Lyra Evie was speaking to a few moments ago.

"Gods," Evie snorted, "you'd get a kick out of Ignis."

" _Ignis_?" She asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Who's that again? Prompto mentioned him before."

* * *

 **I heard one of you wanted more of the guys' group chat and I'll try to add more of that in here maybe in the next chapter? I'll see how the plot decides to unfold. Love to hear your thoughts! You guys are awesome ; _ ;**

 **-Jen**


	10. Cracks in the Foundation

**Updating this late at night because I was too impatient to upload the chapter tomorrow :'D I've done some more plotting and I'm really liking where I'm going with it (hopefully I can still keep up my weekly update schedule now that I'm working)**

* * *

Chapter 10

Cracks in the Foundation

Every student knows, whether it's a high school student or a college student, the feeling of impending doom, stress, and tears as finals week creeps up on everyone's calendars. The school stores run out on scantrons, exam books, and canned coffee as days seemed to run out of hours for studying. Thankfully Evie had been spared by the finals gods, but she couldn't say the same for poor Lyra. Iris too, was starting to struggle as she started to walk deeper and deeper into test reviews. Lyra had actually requested _off_ for finals week so she could just solely focus on passing her classes. Graduation was at the doorstep for the two seniors and Lyra especially didn't want to slip up.

Evie hadn't gotten the chance to know how Prompto was holding up. It had been a couple weeks since their excursion to the chocobo post, and they hadn't done anything that extreme since. In order to preserve of what was left of their funds, they opted to just hanging around campus with a few outings to cafés and such in the city. Sometimes they found themselves just lounging around in Prompto's apartments, but Evie would manage to excuse herself after a few hours to go study. Whenever they found themselves close, Evie would immediately push herself away before anything else could happen, and it was gnawing at her. A part of her was guilty of just wanting to leave for the sake of _leaving._

She had been meaning to confront Prompto about her anxiety ever since it reared its ugly head once again, but she would always lose the courage she had and would scramble to make up a pathetic excuse to shrug it off. Sometimes she wished she wasn't so pathetic.

It seemed that Prompto didn't pay much attention since he was also busy with his own assignments, thus giving her another reason to not tell him things, assuming that he was already stressed with his finals. _After finals_ , she thought to herself _, I'm going to tell him before shit hits the fan._

Lyra didn't look happy with that answer when Evie told her the plan. Evie knew Lyra was right, but for some reason she couldn't act on it. Whether she was right or not, a fear of Prompto reacting in a less than desirable way was scaring her off in the other direction, sending her stomach to tie in knots. It was so _aggravating._ She wanted to confront him, but she kept on putting up detour signs in front of herself to stall for more time.

"Are you going to get something for Prompto?" Lyra inquired with her chipper voice. Both girls decided to take a trip to downtown Insomnia to actually try out the infamous chocobo café Prompto had been gushing over. They weren't planning on staying however once they saw how cram packed it was.

"Probably." Evie said as they waited in line.

"So what did he recommend here anyways?" Lyra asked as she swept her hair over her jacket-clad shoulder.

"Something about the cookies. The tart was okay, but he didn't like it."

Lyra nodded as she glazed over the menu. Both girls were floating on the post-study cloud, drained of mental energy and their eyes sore from staring at papers for too long.

A part of her wanted to text Prompto to ask if he wanted something in particular, but she thought against it and ordered a smoothie that was apparently really popular with the customers, including a large cupcake with orange and yellow sugar sprinkled on top. Maybe she could surprise him this one time. She settled for an iced coffee despite the dropping temperatures that have been ravaging the city.

"Hey, I'm just gonna head over to Prompto's. You can stay around the café if you want." Evie said to her friend as she got her drinks from the barista. "Is that alright?"

"Oh yeah!" She nodded and fished out her gloves from her backpack. "I was actually going to just head to the student center to study more. You going to be at his place all day then?"

"I mean, I haven't texted him at all today so if he's not at his place I'll just come and find you."

Lyra got herself a cookie wrapped up to-go and got herself a cup of hot tea. "Alright. Just shoot me a text then."

The two left the chaotic café and were greeted by the harsh winds of early winter. Snow was still a long ways away, but the wind was starting to bite at Evie's cheeks and ears. All she had was a fleece-lined jacket with jeans and boots and she wished she at least had a scarf to shield her face from the wind that went barreling down the city's streets. Was it cold in the countryside too? Those poor chocobos...

" _Gods_ , if I were any lighter you would see me getting swept down the streets!" Lyra shrieked as she pulled up the zipper of her jacket up as far as it could go. The ends of her hair were flying, but the knitted hat she was wearing kept everything else down.

Evie wanted to complain about the wind, but she felt like if she opened her mouth her vocal chords would freeze on the spot. She was already blinking away tears as the bitter air kept on blasting in her face.

They eventually parted ways at the crosswalk and Evie hurried down the sidewalk in the direction of Prompto's apartment. Maybe she _should_ text him just in case. If he wasn't at his apartment then she would've slayed away at walking through this bipolar weather for nothing. If only her hands weren't occupied holding her drinks and snacks for the blonde in particular.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally crossed the parking lot to Prompto's apartment building. She scurried over to the stairwell and sighed in relief when the wind stopped beating down at her face.

Evie trekked up the stairs and eventually heard a set of footfalls in front of her. When she rounded the corner on the platform she looked up to find a guy dressed in all black slowly go up the steps. She quickly went around him and her eyes did a momentary passing glance on the guy.

"Prince Noctis?" She asked. Her voice echoed down the stairwell.

Her voice seemed to shake him from his dazed trance. "Oh?" He exclaimed and looked at her. They stopped walking. "Oh hey, Evie. What're you doing over here?" He paused. "I mean, you're probably here to see Prompto since you're his girlfriend...man that's so weird to say."

She mustered a laugh. "You think so? And yeah, I'm just going to drop off some snacks for him." Evie held up the drinks in her hands.

"Isn't he the lucky one," he shook his head. "C'mon then. I don't feel like freezing my ass out here."

The two quickly hurried up the stairs and down the 2nd floor's hall until they got to Prompto's unit. Noctis didn't bother knocking and pushed the door open, letting Evie go in first. "Yo, Prompto! Your girlfriend has something for you!"

The apartment was empty with no sign of the ball of sunshine, but sure enough she could hear his muffled voice come from his closed bedroom door: "Evie?!"

She put down the food on the kitchen counter as she heard the sound of loud rummaging coming from Prompto's room. Noct rolled his eyes with a smirk and sauntered over to the living room and started filing through the games on the bookshelf. Figures he would act like this was his second home.

While Evie waited for Prompto to finally get out his room, she couldn't help but notice the 6 foot walking wall of muscle wasn't around this time. "Where's Gladiolus? I thought royals had to be y'know...under surveillance all the time?"

"Hmpf. Gladio knows that I'm usually at Prompto's place, and besides," he pulled a game from the shelf and observed the front cover, "he's probably just hanging around the apartment building just in case."

"Sounds a bit suffocating."

He groaned. "You don't even _know_ what suffocating means. When you have to share a tent with _three_ other people that's when you learn the true meaning. The damn guy takes up half the space! He's one hell of a furnace."

Evie laughed at the thought of the guys desperately trying to stay away from Gladio when they were camping out in the desert. Perhaps it would be other way around if they travelled in cooler conditions.

Prompto's door swung open to reveal a boy who looked like he rolled out of bed. His hair was disheveled, lacking the usual volume, and he was wearing a baggy shirt and sweats. Despite his exhausted appearance, his eyes held enough energy to choke a horse. "Hey, Eve!" He said, shocked.

She smiled. "Hey yourself. Did you just wake up?"

Noctis put in the disk in one of the many gaming consoles Prompto had sitting below the tv and plopped down on the couch with the controller in his hands. "He was gaming all night."

"Ehh?! What proof do you have?"

"Dude you were hopped up on energy drinks and kept on messaging the group chat at 3 in the morning. Evie I hope you realize you're dating a huge _nerd_." He said coolly.

"What's wrong with being a nerd?!"

"Prompto, ignore him," she waved a hand in front of his face. When he took his eyes off his friend, his glare relaxed into a lazy smile. "I went to the chocobo café today and I just got you a drink and one of their snacks."

His smile widened and he glanced at the smoothie and cupcake that were practically calling his name. "Really? For _me_?!" He exclaimed, almost hesitant to believe it. Evie nodded. "All right!" He cheered and gave her a bear hug. She yelped in surprise and pushed at him gently to cut the hug short. "Thanks so much, Eve!"

Noctis groaned from the living room.

Prompto was too happy to acknowledge his friend's jibe and took a huge sip of his smoothie. "Oh this is my _favorite_!" He gushed as he took another sip. "Wanna try?" Prompto asked, offering the cup to Evie. She shook her head and held up her own piping hot drink as a silent 'no thanks, I'm good'.

"You know she had to trek through a blizzard to give you that drink." Noctis said, obviously trying to make things more dramatic.

"Really?" He asked, suddenly looking guilty as his shoulder sank with his smile. "You didn't have to go through the trouble…"

"You need to stop listening to him," she chuckled. "It was just windy. There's no snow in the forecast for now." Evie was still wearing her jacket, silently trying to recover from the cold that had seeped into her bones.

Prompto pouted. "You don't need to freeze just to give me a snack."

"I mean I could just take the smoothie back."

He frowned and held the drink at his chest, slightly turning from her as if she would actually leap at it. "No, no! You don't have too."

The smile Evie had been wearing was slowly fading as she glanced at the prince who was busy playing _Resident Evil 5_ , and then at the blonde in front of her. "Well, I guess I better get going. I need to study more for finals."

"Ehh? But you just got here!" Prompto furrowed his brows, not understanding why she wanted to leave so quickly.

"Don't you need to study too? You were gaming all night…"

Her boyfriend pulled a face. "It's not like I need to study a lot! At least warm up before you go back outside." He wheedled with a set of puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, stay for a bit." Noctis piped up.

Evie was hesitant at first. All she wanted to do was just drop by for a few minutes and leave, but those eyes were hard to resist. _Just for a little bit._ She let the straps of her backpack slide off her shoulders and placed it on the kitchen chair as her answer and Prompto launched his fist in the air in victory.

The three were now situated on the couch. Prompto and Noctis decided to do a co-op and were shooting away at zombies and disfigured animals that spit out slime. Prompto offered her to play, but she declined because she knew she was terrible at shooters. Evie instead just sat there, knees curled up to her chest while she held the cup of iced coffee close to her.

It was nice, watching them two work as a team to clear an area…or sabotage each other and attempt to leave one another in the dust for laughs. She particularly giggled when Noctis immediately bailed by climbing up a ladder and kicking it down before Prompto could get to it, leaving him to shoot away at a mob of zombies. Evie wasn't surprised when he finally got out unscathed with ammo left to spare.

The rest of the campaign went without a hitch. They died a couple time when they ran into a boss, but it was obvious enough that both of them played this game numerous times in the past. Noctis got up to run to the bathroom when the next scene loaded, leaving the two on the couch.

Evie had finished her cup of coffee, so now she was just huddling underneath a blanket, sitting next to Prompto. Something sour stirred at the pit of her stomach once again when Prompto let out a sigh and rested his head against her shoulder. "Are you bored?"

She prayed that he didn't hear how loud her heart was starting to thump. She cleared her throat. "What makes you think that?"

"You haven't been saying a lot." He murmured, looking down at the controller in his lap.

"I just don't want to break your concentration."

He snorted. "As if! I know this game like the back of my hand."

 _Damnit Noctis! How long are you going to be in the bathroom?_ Evie shifted in her seat. Prompto managed to scoot closer so now their arms brushed up against each other. His hand found hers and she jolted at the touch. Evie relaxed as their fingers interlaced with one another but she immediately tensed up when she heard Prompto's voice drop a few octaves, now murmuring in her ear. "Eve?"

Goosebumps shot up on the side Prompto was leaning on and her mouth felt dry. "Hmm?" She swallowed.

"Did you know you're really cute?"

Despite herself, she managed to smile at that. Evie took a chance to glance at Prompto, whose cheeks were tinted pink and his freckles dotted his face like constellations. Her breath hitched―bad move. Now she couldn't look away. "You've said that a few times." She said lamely.

His blue eyes flickered from hers to her lips. "...can I kiss you?"

"Prompto I―"

"Ew guys, get a room." Noctis announced cheekily as he finally emerged from the bathroom. Evie jumped and scooted away from Prompto, leaving him with a frown filled with mixed emotions: confusion, disappointment, and hurt. However his expression changed within a fraction of a second when his friend took a seat next to him to resume another session. Evie could still feel his hurt regardless of the smile he put on for the prince.

* * *

A little bit turned into a _long_ _span_ as minutes turned into hours. Noctis finally had to leave and within the first ten minutes of Prompto and Evie being alone, she decided to leave as well. She shrugged on her jacket and then her backpack when she turned around to find Prompto standing in her way. He had his hands in his pockets while he bit his lip. "What is it?" She asked, wary of his expression.

He didn't look up at her immediately. Instead he just stared at her boots. He feigned a laugh and then shook his head. "It's nothing."

Evie knew too well that it wasn't 'nothing', but she skirted around it despite the fact that she knew very well that _she_ was giving him reasons of concern. "Did I get you enough cupcakes?" Her attempt at a joke fell on deaf ears and a straight face. Evie mentally shrunk away when she saw the look in his eyes.

He exhaled through his nose. "Evie, what's wrong? You've been acting...I dunno... _weird_ for a while." His pained smile was just another stab at her heart. He paused. "...did I do something wrong?" Prompto's voice was soft, almost cracking.

"What? No, of course not!" She did her best to look surprised. "It's just finals." She lied. "I'm stressed that's all."

Fidgeting under his imploring eyes, she was sure he was going to press more. Instead, she was proven wrong when he gave her a small nod. "Well don't push yourself too hard." Prompto's expression was a half-smile albeit devoid of his usual cheeriness.

"I'll try not to."

* * *

Prompto was sitting at the kitchen counter cross-legged on a chair, cupcake half eaten and smoothie forgotten. When Evie left he couldn't help but feel this heavy weight stick to the bottom of his stomach like a magnet. He knew that they haven't been hanging out as much since tests were coming up...was that why she seemed so off today? He had been staring at his phone for a while, debating whether to message the group chat in hopes of finding advice from the same guys who had been teasing about him and Evie.

"Now or never I guess," he murmured to himself and picked up his phone.

 _'Guuuyyys! Eve seems upset AND I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO'_

 _'Ok at least i wasnt the only one who noticed it'_

 _'Noct you knew about that?! Bro did i do something ; A ; i dont remember if i did'_

The group chat for the first part of it just consisted of him and the prince. Eventually Ignis jumped in.

 _'Well Prompto. I do suggest you think over previous events. I don't believe Evie would be the type to get upset over something small.'_

 _'Thanks iggy that TOTALLY helps = _ = idk guys she seemed off for a while now. She says its just finals. Am i freaking out over something dumb?!'_

Gladiolus finally put his foot in the pool of chaos otherwise known as the group chat.

 _'If she says 'she's fine' then that's probably not the case. Just talk to her before you run a hole in your floor'_

 _'Since when do you give out relationship advice huh? Youre not even dating anyone'_

 _'You having a fiancé doesn't meant jack shit. I've had more relationships than you have fingers, little boy.'_

 _'The hell man'_

 _'You guys arent helping (,; A ;,)'_

 _'Gladiolus is right, Prompto. Just address the situation before matters become worse. I'm hoping you and Evie can exceed the thousands of hours you've logged in with your video games.'_

Prompto blew away some of the hair that fell in front of his eyes. Ignis and Gladio were right: he had to talk to her. Knowing himself, he would just be sitting and fretting over it and with the last week of the semester creeping up he knew it would affect his performance if he didn't sit Evie down for a talk.

After a few minutes of hyping himself up, he shot Evie a text:

 _'Don't plan on doing anything tomorrow night ok?'_

* * *

 **I'm still so baffled with all of the favorites and follows I'm slowly getting. Thanks for your support everyone! And a quick question, if I built a big enough buffer would you guys be chill with 2 new chapters/week? (Just curious because I know waiting a week for a new episode for a show can be a killer) I'll be back next week with a new one as always.**

 **-Jen**


	11. A Rift of Some Sort

**First of all I just wanted to say, holy moly you guys! Where did all of these reviews come from?! I didn't know that last chapter would get so much reception! Oh my gosh, I read through every review with a huge smile on my face, and I'm _very_ happy I'm drawing these emotions from you all *heheh***

* * *

Chapter 11

A Rift of Some Sort

 _'Dont plan on doing anything tomorrow night ok?'_

The text flashed up on her screen by the time she got to the library, and it took her a moment to respond.

 _'Just tell me when'_

When she left Prompto's place, she felt like she got ran over by a truck. Majoring in mental exhaustion, Evie couldn't help but look back on her previous actions. Could she have made it more obvious that she was uncomfortable? Not to mention she blatantly lied to him while keeping a straight face. She could still see his hurt expression, but he masked it with his smile she became all-too familiar with. She felt like shit.

Evie knew she couldn't avoid him forever, so she figured that she would be carrying huge red flags if she declined one of Prompto's last minute outings. But what would they be doing tomorrow? She wasn't in the mood to go to the chocobo post at the brink of winter if that was the case.

Regardless, she already sent her response so all she had to do was wait until tomorrow to see what in the world her boyfriend was planning. And so, the rest of her day went as followed: study at the library and meet up with Lyra and Iris for dinner at the cafeteria.

Lyra flagged down Iris with a wave of her hand when the young girl started wandering through the dining hall to find a table to sit at. Almost all of the tables had been claimed with stacks of textbooks, study guides, and laptops of students cramming for the upcoming week of fate. Luckily Lyra snagged a booth just before the dinner rush hit.

"Oh hey!" Iris' voice had kept its natural chirp, though she looked like she just rolled out of bed with her shirt and U of I sweatpants. Lyra moved her stuff and shoved it against the wall so Iris could sit down. From what Evie heard, Lyra had claimed Iris as her designated freshman and the two would occasionally meet up whenever they were free. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy for the newly formed friendship, but it made sense since Evie found herself hanging out with Prompto and the guys for the most part. "Helloooo, earth to Evie!" Iris waved her hand in front of the girl's face.

Evie blinked out of her daydream. "Oh, sorry."

"Studying that bad, huh?" The younger girl inquired with a sympathetic gaze.

"Guy trouble actually." Lyra commented innocently, which Evie shot her a look.

Iris had already shoveled in a forkful of mashed potatoes in her mouth, so she just widened her eyes and leaned forward. She swallowed. "You and Prompto are _fighting_? I can't believe it! You guys always look so happy!"

" _Not_ fighting," Evie corrected with a roll of her eyes. She didn't let on any more than she wanted and just continued eating her meal while Lyra took the conversation to different topics. Throughout all of dinner she hadn't received a text or a picture of a pun from Prompto. _Right. What was I expecting?_

* * *

The next day couldn't have arrived any slower. Evie slept for most of the morning, which was baffling even for her, and proceeded to continue her hermit lifestyle as finals approached day by day.

Prompto had asked her to meet him at the campus' main entrance, and sure enough when it was time to rendezvous, she found him leaning against the small clock tower, phone in hand. He looked tired, but it didn't stop him from smiling when he spotted her walking up to him. He had his camera laced around his neck, and he wore a hat and gloves to shield them from the bitter winter wind. Evie was smart enough to wear a scarf, earmuffs, and gloves this time.

"Another impromptu photoshoot?" She offered, getting a chuckle from the blonde.

"Yep! C'mon, it's getting dark fast." He said and skipped on ahead through the gates. It was already 5 and the sun was making its way to dipping into the horizon.

He still didn't tell her where he was taking her, but when he hailed a taxi cab, she knew that it wasn't going to be at a café.

Evie picked nervously at the hem of her gloves during the quiet drive to their mystery destination. "So _where_ are we going?" She asked the boy.

"It's a surprise," he sang, and the alarmingly cheeriness in his tone was like a huge blaring sign that said: _Evie, you goofed up._

She stared at him, brows furrowed. "Is it chocobo related?"

Instead of answering, he leaned over to the driver's seat. "This is our stop." He said. The driver nodded and pulled over to a bustling sidewalk, and Evie slid out of the car, waiting for Prompto to hand the taxi driver the required gil. He exited the car and pointed to a set of revolving doors at the base of a skyscraper that had glass covering all sides of it. It glistened under the growing city lights as night approached.

They walked up to the doors and Prompto exclaimed, "One, two, three!" Without giving Evie a moment's notice, he pushed both of them into one of the small pockets in the revolving door and she squeaked in surprise. He laughed at how squished they were before they bounded out of the door. "I always wonder if the doors would lock when you're halfway through the door."

"I'd freak out." She said, tugging her earmuffs down so they hung around her neck. "And then I'd blame you."

"Blame _me_?!" He pulled a face. Well it was good to know that her awkward actions in the past didn't deter them from poking fun at each other. "Once again, you have offended me greatly." He said, still holding his pout but this time putting his hands on his hips.

Evie looked around the rather grandiose lobby. The granite floors were glistening, and it seemed to reflect light off the magnificent chandelier that hung from the vaulted ceilings. There was a reception desk but with no receptionist. It appeared that everyone was getting off of work since people in nice dress pants and suits were exiting elevators and pouring out onto the sidewalk. They stuck out like sore thumbs with their jeans and heavy winter jackets, but Prompto didn't seem to mind.

"So you want to have a photoshoot in a random business firm?" She asked, looking around. "Who runs this building anyways?"

"It's the headquarters of some health insurance company," he said with memorized ease as he dug through his pocket to find something, "it also has a few financial institutions―ah! Found it!" He took out a card, but Evie didn't have time to inspect it as he was pointing to the elevators. "C'mon, this way!"

Evie followed after him, afraid of potentially getting separated in the streams of people. They snagged the nearest available elevator and Prompto pressed the 60th floor button. "Prompto, just what are you planning?" She asked just as the elevators dinged close.

"I'm not tellin'," he wiggled his eyebrows.

Evie leaned back against the wall and watched as the numbers on the display monitor increase. By the time they passed the 12th floor, the quietness between them was starting to get to her. Prompto hummed to himself and shifted his weight from one foot to the other before finally straightening up and brushing his arm against hers. Whether it was accidental or on purpose, Evie shifted uneasily regardless. The elevator didn't stop for any floor, so she guess the building for the most part had been cleared out. Her heart started to thrum as she watched the numbers keep on crawling.

By the time they got to their floor, Evie mentally let out a sigh of relief when the doors slid open. They stepped into another lobby, albeit smaller than the main one, and half of the lights had been switched off. A security officer looked like he was finishing his rounds by the time the two stepped foot onto the 60th floor, and he gave them a questioning look. Prompto flashed the guard the card he had been digging for and the man glanced at the pass and then at the blonde, momentarily regarding Evie. "We're just going to be on the balcony for an hour or two." Prompto explained.

The guard shot them a confused look. "Do you know how cold it is out there?" He shook his head. "I don't know what you college kids are thinking, but go ahead, freeze yourself out there. Door to the balcony is down the hall." He said, pointing them in the right direction.

The two thanked the guard and quickly scurried down the eerily empty hall filled with walled off office spaces and cubicles. As they walked, Evie could see the cityscape of Insomnia through the glass. Gosh, it looked so beautiful out there. "Photo shoot on the balcony? _Really_?" She said after processing what the security guard said.

He nodded with a grin. "But wait til you see it, Eve!" They reached the door and Prompto gave a light push on the door. Cold air barrelled inside and she was quick to put her earmuffs back on as they stepped outside.

The balcony was rather large. It had a small patch of grass and various flora with a few benches and picnic tables scattered around. The balcony was fenced in with tall walls of glass, but it did little to ward off the wind that went howling past the skyscrapers. Luckily there was a heat lamp near the tables that was still running. It also provided a generous amount of light.

Evie stuffed her gloved hands in her pockets as she approached the glass fence. Down below she could see lights from the lamp posts, headlights of cars, and digital billboards over the tangled line of streets. "Wow." She breathed.

 _Click! Click!_

The all-too familiar shutter from the camera sounded from the left of her. She knew better than to protest, but she wouldn't get used to the feeling of him sneakily taking pictures of her. "Is this for an assignment?" She asked, glancing over at him as he flipped through the preview screen on his camera.

He shook his head. "Nope. I just," he shrugged and said slowly, "wanted to spend time with you. Besides, we haven't seen the skyline together yet so why not now?" He backed away from her slightly as he peered through the lense. "Hey, could you tilt your head this way and put your hand on the glass?"

"Are you photo directing me? What about your love for candids?" She teased.

Prompto in return poked her in the sides, making her jump. "I have a love for _photography_. Okay, but can you _please_ do this for me?" He wheedled.

" _Fine_ ," she drawled out, doing her best to follow his instructions.

He chewed his lip in thought, studying Evie. His eyes glimmered when an idea struck him and he said in a gentle voice, "Could you lean against the glass and put your hands in your pocket? Oh―could you take off your earmuffs for juuust a sec?"

"My ears are gonna freeze off!"

"Just for a little bit!" He insisted with a smile.

"Alright Mr. Photographer." She conceded and took off her sole ear protection and placed it on a nearby table before skipping over to her original spot.

"Okay, look up for me―perfect! Tilt your head a bit...a little higher...okay!"

The camera shutter went off in a series of trills as it mixed in with the sound of the bustling city down below. She couldn't see it, but she could hear the revs from the engines of cars as it bounced up the walls of the buildings and into the sky. She always loved the sound of the city life, not to mention seeing the views of the glistening city, which made Evie wonder: how did Prompto find this balcony? And how in the world did he get access to it?

Her thoughts were tossed out the window just like her hair when a gust of wind swept it up. She gasped and quickly tucked a section of her hair behind her ear as Prompto's camera went off a few more times.

"Oh man! That was perfect timing!" He exclaimed with a toothy grin plastered on his face. "Here." He walked over to her and showed the shots he captured on the preview screen.

Evie will never understand the magical eye of a photographer. He captured it _perfectly_. She had her face cast downwards to the side with her eyes closed as she tucked in her hair. The light coming off the heat lamp and the fleeting sunset cast a blanket of warm oranges and yellows to stream through the image. That was a picture she wouldn't mind to have a copy of, and she wasn't being narcissistic about it either. It could've been a different subject and she would still consider getting a copy. "That's...oh wow…" she murmured, entranced by the image.

"You like it too?"

"Like is an understatement."

"Well now I know what's going to be my new wallpaper!" He mused. "You can shield your ears now. I just wanna take a few shots of the cityscape."

Evie rushed to put her earmuffs on only to shiver when the chilled muffs made contact with her skin. She inched closer under the heat lamp to warm up her winter-battered face while she watched the photographer at work.

He looked so serious, adjusting the lens' focus while the shutter went off over and over again. No one spoke, and despite the noise from the bustling streets it felt like Evie could hear a pin drop. Did he ever listen to music while he did this? Or did he just take in the surrounding noises all the time? Nevertheless, his work always turned out beautifully from what Evie has seen, and she admitted that she was always impressed with the photos he captured on his camera.

The shutter didn't stop sounding off until there was no more light from the sun. The sky had settled into a dark blueish purple without a cloud to be seen. Evie took a seat at a table underneath the heat lamp and she looked up from her phone when Prompto finally took a seat beside her. He went through the shots he took, deleting ones he didn't like.

"Hey Prompto?" Her voice broke the silence.

"Hmm? What's up?"

"What was that card you showed the security guy? How did you get permission to come up here?"

He hummed innocently. "What can I say? Being friends with the Crown Prince has its perks."

"Prompto!"

"Relax, Eve." Prompto let out a breathy laugh and set the camera down. "It's not like I do this all the time. It's not any trouble for Noct to get me a pass just for one night. Besides, I really liked the view this balcony gives."

Evie lifted her brows and looked up at the night sky. The lights from the city prevented her from seeing the stars. "Do you have pictures of the stars?"

"A few. I got them during the summer with the guys out in the country―there's no way to get a decent shot of the stars in Insomnia." He rubbed his hands together to warm them up. "You should tag along with us this summer! Most likely Noct's gonna get married after this summer so it might be the last one we'll have for a while." Prompto said with a sad smile.

She noted the change in his tone and she brought her eyes down to him. "How does he feel about that? Does he actually _like_ Lady Lunafreya?"

Prompto snorted. "He tries not to show it, but he _definitely_ has a thing for her no matter how depressed he looks about it. I bet you Luna likes him just as much, so it's not like it's gonna be a miserable marriage for them."

"Well as long as the feeling is mutual then by all means―good for him."

"Yeah…" his voice trailed off. A heartbeat of silence pulsed through the air before he let his gloved hand brush up against hers. Evie's heart hiked up into her throat as she let his fingers weave through hers. "Eve?" His sombre-like tone startled her.

"Hmm?"

He gently squeezed her hand, taking a moment before replying. "Do you like me?"

Immediately Evie knew what was going on. For those short moments on the balcony she forgot about how she was acting towards him and now her memories resurfaced once again. She froze over despite the heat lamp standing a few feet from the table. "Of course I do!" She affirmed, but the involuntary crack in her voice contradicted her.

Prompto lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Then...I don't know―why do I get this feeling that―"

"I've been avoiding you?" She murmured, easily finishing his sentence.

He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth slightly trembling. "So I'm not imagining things…"

Evie finally looked away, unable to see his crestfallen face. "No." The back of her neck heated up while the knot in her throat got bigger.

"Did I...did I upset you somehow?"

She shook her head, slowly realizing that she couldn't hold up to her personal promise to tell Prompto _after_ finals. It was like life gave her a shortcut and lo and behold, here she was with her boyfriend who looked like he was about to shut down. Gods, how could she be so... _selfish_? Evie took in a breath. " _You_ never did anything wrong."

It was apparent that Prompto understood her punctuation on 'you' because he immediately dropped his teary smile with an imploring gaze, eyes no longer holding sadness and fear. "What happened, Eve?" He asked softly but firmly.

She laughed, but it was derisive. "It's so dumb. I thought I would be over it by now, but I guess not."

Prompto squeezed her hand again, turning in his seat to properly face her. "It's not _dumb_." He assured. "If it's bothering you this much, it's obviously very serious for you." She was dumbfounded at how gravely Prompto was taking this. It was so unsettling to see him besides the happy-go-lucky person he usually was.

She sighed. "Do you _really_ want to hear it?"

"Eve." That's all he had to say.

She stared off at the lights from the distant skyscrapers. "It was an ex...two of them actually." She finally said. "The first one was fine in the beginning, but he wanted more. Dumb me thought it would help further our relationship so...I slept with him. I didn't like it, but he kept on insisting and _insisting_ so I just went along with it." Evie sighed. "After a while I couldn't help but notice that he really wanted to move this relationship along and I was pretty sure he was using me to get back at his ex because he always texted whenever we were together. We didn't go out on 'normal' dates, and we would just hang out in his room.

"I broke up with him eventually and then I dated some other guy the next year. He almost had the same mindset with the first one because after the first date, we kissed and he was _very clear_ with what he wanted. I told him to stop, but he kept on asking _every single day_ and it was literally a week into the relationship.

"I told him about my first ex and about how I felt about rushing a relationship and that I wasn't interested in taking it further until I actually felt invested in the relationship, but he didn't listen to me. He just laughed and called me a prude, so I dumped his ass the next day. I didn't date anyone else until...well, you came along and I thought I would be over it. I know for sure you're not one of those guys but…" Evie gathered enough strength to look him in the eye and boy, Prompto was _livid_. There was this anger that burned in his eyes, mixed with hurt, and several powerful emotions. His eyes were an angry crystal blue and his mouth was set in a frown.

"Holy hell. Those bastards need to get run over and eaten by a behemoth."

"Prompto it's fine―"

"Bullshit!" He spat, startling Evie. "No one should _ever_ do that in a relationship. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"Because for some damn reason I thought you would have the same reaction as my exes. I should've known better, but the memories keep on coming back." She laughed angrily at herself.

"So whenever I tried to kiss you or if we were ever alone together..."

Evie just nodded, not even on letting him finish the sentence. At this point they were on the same wavelength.

"You thought that about me." That sounded harsher than what Prompto intended, but it was too late now. Evie pulled her hand away from his, but it was still resting on the table. Her phone was long forgotten, probably now frozen.

There was nothing for her to say. She couldn't bring herself to _say anything_. All she knew was that she brought a sudden weight onto their conversation. Her heart felt heavy and her eyes stung from the wind and threatening tears.

A deafening silence engulfed the two. She couldn't even hear the sound of the never-stopping traffic down in the streets or the helicopters that whirred over their heads. Despite the warmth from the heat lamp, a chill had settled in between them.

Prompto's sigh made her flinch. At this rate she was sure her heart would explode out of anxiety. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Eve." He finally said with utmost sincerity. There was another pause. "But…you thought I'm just another copy of those guys?" His face was now neutral but his tone was sad and pained.

She swallowed thickly. Maybe she could've worded things differently. At this point she was mentally kicking herself for being so stupid.

"No!" She shook her head. "No." Evie couldn't bring herself to look at him. "I just…bad relationships always mess you up." Her other hand was balled into a fist and after what felt like a millennia she unclenched her hand. "I shouldn't have assumed."

Evie didn't have to see his face to sense how disappointed he sounded. "Y'know, I have never asked anything more from you than to just hang out with me. I didn't know if you were comfortable to…I dunno, 'take it further' and I wasn't going to ask until you brought it up." He pulled in a heavy sigh. A low voice followed. "But I see where you stand now."

"Well it's not like I knew how to bring it up."

"You could've told me what was wrong the first time instead of avoiding me."

There was no excuse. Prompto was 100% right and Evie understood why he felt so upset. She left him in the dark and she felt like shit. From the beginning, even before they started dating, Prompto had always been friendly and polite with her. Never did she sense that he had any 'ulterior motive' or a fake personality, and what did she do? She just focused on the negative aspects of him that never existed. And after all these years she never felt like giving others chances and assumed all guys were like that. Evie agreed with Lyra, she did have a right to be wary, but she didn't have the right to judge and straight up assume Prompto's personality and mindset.

"I'm sorry." Her eyes became glassy with tears but she furiously blinked them away. "Clearly I was wrong. You're not like that at all. You're patient, goofy..." her voice trailed off in fears of making things worse.

What she didn't expect was a hand to be on top of hers once again. Evie didn't move. She just took in his warmth and comfort. "I can't believe something like that would actually happen to you. You're so nice."

Evie cracked a small smile, staring out into the horizon where the sky the cityscape. "Prompto, _you_ are nice not me...guess there's a few things we still don't know about each other." She said slowly.

Prompto paused. "We'll work on it." He promised with a crack in his voice.

Eventually they decided to head back to campus, no longer able to withstand the cold air and frost that had settled in between them. They hailed a taxi quickly and the ride was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. Edith's fears weren't bottled up anymore but it now introduced a series of new questions: would they just continue where they left off as if nothing happened? Were they gonna be awkward for a while? Were they both on the same page now?

Evie's thoughts swirled around in her head at a steady pace. It seemed like her world was going in slow motion as the skyscrapers and city goers slowly went by her window.

The taxi pulled up to the campus' main entrance and they got out. They stood there for a while before Evie finally strung together what she wanted to say. "You don't have to walk me back if you don't want to."

Prompto merely nodded, and it felt like a stab to her heart. She really hurt him.

 _Damnit all…_ "Prompto," she said softly. Her arm moved on its own and her hand took a hold of his, making him look up at her. She closed her eyes and stood on her tiptoes to place a chaste yet gentle kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner…" she murmured, sinking back onto her feet.

His expression didn't change, but his cheeks brightened to an alarming tomato-red. "It's okay. I understand―kinda." She had a feeling it wasn't 'okay', but she was proven wrong when Prompto stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. Despite herself, she leaned into him, hugging him back as she rested her cheek on his chest. Her heart swelled, realizing that he wasn't going to _completely_ ostracize her after all of this. "We'll take it slow." He said before they both pulled away from the hug. Both parties seemed reluctant.

She simply nodded and quietly exchanged their goodbyes before parting ways. It felt like she could breathe now, but she couldn't avoid this bitter taste that had been left in her mouth the second she blatantly told him that she didn't trust him. But yet again, Prompto had astonished her. He was literally the embodiment of the sun. His light never dimmed or faltered, he stayed constant: he never changed. When "we'll work on it" not "I can't do this" escaped his lips it was like her eyes were finally opened.

To quote Lyra, Evie "wouldn't mind him sticking around."

* * *

 **Drama, sappy feels, and fluff all wrapped up in one chapter! I hope it wasn't overdone―I was trying to establish that both of them to have their reasons of feeling a certain way. Like, I'd be kinda pissed off and offended if my s/o kept on ignoring me instead of telling me what they actually felt, but having that fear of rejection that Evie had is real so there ya go. Not to mention there are certain memories you can't control.**

 **So anywho, I'm working on my buffer and I'll take a crack at uploading twice a week (please bear with me) Thanks for reading!**

 **-Jen**


	12. Freezeframe

**It's rainy and dreary where I live and I'm very upset. It's May and therefore it should be decently nice outside by now. And people say global warming is real.**

* * *

Chapter 12

Freezeframe

The study floor of the campus' library was jam packed with students. There was a low hum of chatter throughout the tables with the occasional sound of pages flipping and pencils rolling off tables. Finals weeks have officially started with little word from Prompto. Evie convinced herself that he wasn't avoiding her completely on purpose because he had his own exams as well so she busied herself with studying with her closest friends.

Lyra had her hair tucked away in her hood and she looked utterly exhausted. She had been putting so much effort into studying and it made Evie's study sessions look like child's play. Iris had been hanging out with them more often and she had been playing as Evie's temporary ray of sunshine. Both upperclassmen have been baffled at the spunk and strength Iris harbored, but considering she was an Amicitia it was a plausible explanation. Gladio and Iris were _definitely_ siblings without a doubt.

In speaking of the muscled man, Evie hadn't seen him much which made her think that Noctis hadn't been going out as often as he usually does, which is next to nothing. Was the prince studying? Surely out of reluctance thanks to Ignis' unrelenting nagging if that were the case.

The rustling from Lyra's side of the table stirred Evie from her thoughts. The girl closed her laptop and pushed it aside before burying her head in her arms, slouched over the table. "Am I dead yet?" Came a groan.

"You better not be or I'll find you in the afterlife and kick you back to the living." Evie said.

"You only have four classes Ly-Ly." Iris offered as she flipped through her study guide. "We should go out and celebrate after our last final!"

Lyra picked up her head, strands of hair hanging in front of her face, incredulous. "How are you still functioning?"

"I'm trying my best." She put the pencil to her chin in thought. "Gladdy isn't breathing down my neck though―I'm sure Noctis is getting that treatment. It doesn't help when he has Ignis pestering him all the time." She giggled. "I heard from Gladdy that Ignis sometimes threatens Noctis that he'll put only vegetables in his meals if he doesn't study for at least 2 hours a day."

Lyra laughed. "He's such a kid!"

"Evie you haven't seen the guys in a while right?"

"Not since the chocobo post." She replied while she scribbled down side notes from her psychology class' powerpoint slides.

"What about Prompto?"

Lyra straightened up in her seat, casting a glance at her friend.

"I'm trying not to bother him too much."

Truth be told their conversations had been a bit on the sparse side. The next week had passed with texts that were a little more than murmurs and a lot of rain checks. It seemed that studying had taken over their lives since possible plans of grabbing something to eat fell through when either party backed out. That or it was the awkwardness Evie brought to the table after venting to Prompto about everything leading up to this freeze. She figured that Prompto would just knock at her door with a bag of hot food or maybe a drink to make up for the cancelled dates or something on the lines of that.

But he didn't. And she felt pathetic for clinging onto that wishful thought.

After the failed attempts of trying to spend time with him, which was ironic because a week ago she was avoiding him like the plague, she decided to give it a rest and made a beeline for the nearest desk to study.

Today was a Monday, and she had finished her first final. All that was left was Tuesday and Friday. This week was going to go by at an excruciatingly long pace with nothing to do in between test days.

"There's no such thing as 'bothering Prompto'," Iris snorted, "he always loves to do stuff. He's probably bored out of his wits or he's gaming with Noct."

Evie shrugged.

"Gods," Lyra said with fascination, "are you being _mopey_ over a _guy_? This is so unheard of!"

"I am _not_ mopey." She said flatly.

"Oooh, I think she is!" Giggled Iris. Evie shot her a look but the girl just followed Lyra's lead. "I take it she's not usually like this?" Her question was targetted towards her newfound partner-in-crime as if Evie wasn't even in the same room.

"Come _on_ she's as dull as the faded ink on ancient books. She rarely expresses herself let alone get upset over a _guy_."

"I take offense to that."

"Well what else did you want me to say?" Lyra exclaimed. "Besides, you know I love you. You're the most chill person I know."

Evie set her pencil down and looked at her from across the table. "Can we stop talking about this? Whenever I try to stop thinking about him you keep on bringing him up."

Lyra didn't look apologetic. "Okay, how 'bout this? After Iris and I are done with our finals tonight, we should just chill out and have a girls' night. We can watch a movie at our dorm or hang out in the student center. And can I just say one thing?" Evie rolled her eyes, but Lyra took it as a greenlight. "If Prompto is purposefully trying to cancel your plans, which I _highly_ doubt, then just go take your happy self and find out why. If you made him upset, go apologize, if he can't handle the fact that you wanna take things slow, then he can kiss the dirt."

Evie mentally winced at the hinted accusations laced in Lyra's words. Prompto himself said that he would take things slow, so she figured that this wasn't a lame attempt at trying to break up with her...all that she could think of was that Prompto could've been hurt due to her secretiveness or he was just stressed with studying.

Regardless, Evie nodded. "Duly noted." She sighed.

"Yeah we need to do something fun to take our minds off things!" Iris pointed out. "We're not gonna sit here and drown in all of these papers."

* * *

"Honey I'm home!" Lyra sang as she swung the door open.

Evie shot up from her bed startled, hair disheveled and heart hammering. After studying Evie went back to her dorm to take a nap while the other two went on their way to their exams. She didn't know how much time passed because it was cloudy the entire day. "What the hell," she groaned and flumped back on her bed.

"Sorry," Iris laughed as she closed the door behind her.

Evie grumbled at the ceiling, trying to blink away the stars in her vision. "So how'd it go?"

"At least a B." Lyra said, dumping her bag at the foot of her bed with an over exaggerated sigh. "Movie time! Or did we want to eat something first?"

"We can get food when we're hungry. I just need something to numb my fried brain." Iris rubbed her head.

Evie didn't move from her spot. "What do you have in mind, Lyr?"

"Old cheesy musicals―oh! Wait!" Lyra clapped her hands and took her laptop out from her bag. She propped open the lid and started typing away. "There's this foreign romcom I heard from my friends. It's hilarious and stupidly cheesy."

"Just like you," Evie murmured.

Lyra didn't pay attention to the comment and fished out a cable from a nearby drawer. They had a tv in their room that Lyra had brought in. It sat on the floor beside a mini fridge that was only stocked with popsicles and water. "Is that a yes?"

"I'm up for it." Iris said with a smile.

"Great!"

Evie lifted her head, eyeing her friend. "What about me?"

"Majority rules, hun," she stuck her tongue out and hooked up her laptop to the tv.

* * *

The rest of the evening went without a hitch and it was well needed. They played board games, card games, argued over the rules and betrayals during said games, and watched movies well on into the night. The foreign movie they watched was so stupid it was funny. It was about a business worker who got into an accident with somebody, who turned out to be her new boss, and she somehow started to fall for him and had many failed attempts at getting him to notice her.

She couldn't remember the last time she just kicked off her shoes and relaxed since college started.

She always had something to do and always worked ahead on assignments in fear of forgetting to complete them days from now. And even though pulling an almost all-nighter during finals week wasn't the best idea, she didn't regret it.

Iris ended up spending the night, but it seems like she and Lyra anticipated it because she brought her backpack with a change of clothes, hairbrush, and toothbrush. Evie didn't mind, but it still startled her when she woke up to find a body sleeping at the foot of her bed. The younger girl was given a mountain of blankets as cushion for the floor and she looked as comfortable as if she were on the softest best in all of Insomnia.

Evie hid a yawn behind her hand and reluctantly looked at her phone for the time. She had psychology and calculus for business. Okay, maybe she would feel the regret later when she'd be sitting in calc for her final. Psychology was in an hour and calc was right after, so she would have to run to the other side of campus to arrive in time. _Great_.

She got out of bed, careful to not step on Iris' face, and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a thick sweater. Out from the corner of her eye she saw movement. Her eyes flickered over to Lyra's side of the room and nearly screamed when Lyra slowly sat up with messy hair. She would've been perfect to act in a horror movie.

Lyra squinted at Evie as if she didn't recognize her and then fumbled for her phone that fell off her bed and fished it out with the cord still connected. She looked at her phone and then back at Evie and gave her a nod before falling back onto her bed with a _floof!_

Holding back a laugh, Evie gathered her laptop and needed study guides and filed them in her bag. After waking up her face a bit and brushing through her hair a few times, she put in her earbuds and shrugged on her backpack. Just one more final after these two.

* * *

The library was full of students, just like the study floor 2 levels up. Only the tables in the library were filled with students catching up on lost sleep. Evie took the liberty of sitting at the edge of the library where it wasn't so acoustic so she wouldn't hear the smallest sound of a pencil rolling off the table. The library was a large dome with windows that stretched from floor to ceiling. On a sunny day there was no need for the lights to be on inside, but with dark clouds that matted the sky, a few lamps at tables were turned on.

Evie rolled out her neck as she settled into her seat. She was just finished with her calculus exam, but she didn't feel like trudging back to her dorm just yet. She had her laptop open, now perusing sites for potential job openings in Insomnia.

With her final semester coming up she figured now would be a good time to start looking for work (also because her father wouldn't stop nagging her about it). Her math-fried eyes glazed over a few links while her equally fried brain tried to weigh the pros and cons of working for one company over the other.

After a few minutes of filling out applications and submitting resumes, she finally turned her attention to her phone. It hadn't buzzed at all, but maybe she missed feeling the vibration when she was typing away. Pressing the home button she let out a sigh when it only displayed the clock and the updates that were needed for her apps.

As much as she hated to admit it, she _was_ acting like a mopey teenager. It was a constant battle to keep herself from jumping to assumptions, but the possibility of Prompto giving her the cold shoulder kept on inflating her anxiety.

Evie set her phone down and looked around, taking a break from the computer screen. While surveying her familiar surroundings, her eyes stopped when she locked eyes with someone. The hair and the suit immediately gave him away, including the notable pair of glasses that were perched on his nose.

She tilted her head and waved at Ignis, who acknowledged her with a small nod. What she didn't expect was for him to walk up to her table. The Royal Advisor looked the same as he did back at the chocobo post―a nice dress shirt with pressed pants and a jacket. Evie took out her earbuds and paused her music. "It's rare to see you without having the prince around." She said lowly, but loud enough for him to hear.

"I'm here to bring His Highness' political report. Unfortunately he wishes to play hide-and-seek right now." He said with a sigh, gesturing to a manila folder tucked under his arm. In his other hand was a cup of coffee.

She covered her mouth to hold in a laugh. She could just see his irritation in his eyes, but with his relaxed expression a gut feeling told her that this was just daily routine. "It's finals week, Ignis. Usually students are either sleeping in the library, or the really comfy chairs in J building and the art wing." Evie thought for a moment. "Or he could be up in the study floor." She pointed upwards.

The spectacled man merely closed his eyes and exhaled. "I have been playing this game ever since Monday. I'll simply drop by his apartment tonight. But I do appreciate the tips, Evie." He said and gestured to the chair next to her. "May I?"

"Oh," she waved her hand dismissively, "go ahead."

Ignis pulled out the chair and set his things on the table. He took a seat and took a sip of his drink.

"Is that coffee?" She asked and yawned. "I could use a pick-me-up actually…"

"Ah, yes. Ebony," he said with an appreciative nod. "I'm not one to be biased, but I highly recommend it."

"I'm not a huge coffee connoisseur, but it's not my favorite I can tell you that." She said as she scrunched her nose in distaste. "I don't like the taste of it really. It's too rich, even by itself." She only had the drink a couple times. Her dad brewed a few pots and every time she tried it, it didn't seem to attract her tastebuds.

Ignis leaned back in his chair. "I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion." His green eyes did a once over at her laptop screen. "How are finals fairing for you?"

"They're alright," she shrugged, "I just have one more to do on Friday. What about Noctis?"

"It's nothing unusual. He doesn't reveal his thoughts on his finals, but the grades eventually show up on his transcript. I know better than to probe him with questions that will be answered in the future." He paused. "Pardon me for for asking: are you searching for work right now?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I have my eye on Insomnia's news crew. Either a broadcast reporter or a journalist for the paper." Evie closed out of a few tabs. "So after finals are you guys going to go on your usual road trips for break? Or are you guys staying for the holiday?"

His brows furrowed ever-so slightly. "I presumed Prompto informed you already; we are heading towards Galdin Quay when Noctis wraps up with his last exam."

Evie held a sad smile for a moment. Guess he _was_ giving her the cold shoulder. The thought of it stung, but she suppressed the negative feelings enough for her to speak. "Prompto and I haven't been talking a lot since finals started. I don't want to bother him."

Ignis adjusted his glasses. "If you're worried about _disturbing_ him from _studying_ , you have nothing to fret about. Prompto is just as slippery as Noctis when it comes to academics. You'll find him gaming on that infamous computer of his than having his attention focused on a book."

Her mind was recovering from a taxing exam, and without the loud distractions provided by her friends, she was recalling her little...could she even call it an 'argument'? Misunderstanding? It definitely wasn't a fight, but the aftershocks certainly made it feel like it. "Ignis…" she stopped, suddenly finding interest at the light switch of the lamp that was perched at her table.

"Yes?"

"It's nothing." She muttered.

"I do hope you forgive me for asking this, but how are you and Prompto?" He asked in the most casual manner, like he was asking about the weather.

She squinted at the switch and stared at Ignis. The hairs in the back of her neck stood up. "We're fine…" except for the croak in her voice.

"It's strange, you see, Prompto spams our group chat with little updates on your 'food escapades' and photos of you two."

Her cheeks went red. "He really _does_ send those to people?"

"I do have proof if you don't believe me." He gestured to the phone in his jacket pocket.

"No, no, no need for that." She stated.

"But now the updates are sparse. It's almost uncharacteristic of him."

Her heart lurched. "Has he...said anything?"

"He was in a frenzy almost a week ago. It appeared that he believe he upset you, and he wasn't sure on how to go on about it."

 _Well then._ She thought wryly. _Is everyone going to know my life story now?_ "It was...miscommunication and assumptions." She said her words carefully. "I think I hurt him."

He nodded wisely. "I see."

"I assumed his personality because of reasons. I think he's avoiding me, but I could be just paranoid over it." She laughed dryly. "I overthink things."

"Well, may I put my input in this?"

She nodded.

"I have known Prompto ever since he and Noct befriended in high school. He smiles regardless of the situation, and he is very compassionate. He nearly killed us when he pulled over to save an injured pup on the side of the road." Evie smiled slightly. "I believe you don't need to spend your energy on thinking he's doing this out of spite. Though I would recommend looking for him at his apartment, that chocobo café he has been raving about, or the arcade."

It was like her heart let out a sigh of relief. "I'll be honest, I needed to hear that. Thanks." Her heart dislodged from her throat and it felt like she could breathe again without this weight that had been sitting on her shoulders all week.

"My pleasure." He nodded. "You two are quite the couple, I will have to admit."

"At least you're not in my face about it. Lyra is having a fit about this whole thing and keeps on bugging me about it."

He quirked a brow. "I have yet to meet her."

Evie rolled her eyes. "Trust me, you don't. The second she sees you and Gladio she'll be nonstop talking about you two." There would be a time where her guy-crazy friend would eventually meet the rest of Prompto's group, but she hoped that wouldn't be for a while. Lyra's brain would surely shut down once she saw Gladio―unless if Lyra found a way to meet all of them without her knowledge.

"Such a lovely friend you are." He mused. "Perhaps the banter between you two is mutual?"

"As mutual like you and the guys."

"Very well."

An hour or so passed before Ignis finally excused himself to go Noctis-hunting. Throughout their insightful conversation, she managed to pull his number into her phone. She figured that would come in handy. Evie was grateful for him―Ignis cleared her a path and all she had to do was walk it. It was like he was the perfect person to run into for her to seek counsel from. He wasn't called the strategist for nothing.

Evie tossed the idea around and finally decided that tomorrow she would have to talk to Prompto. Enough was enough.

 _Hmm…_ she thought as she closed her laptop. _I can't believe I never thought of an arcade._

* * *

 **I can't wait until we hit the later chapters. I'm super excited for what I have planned.**

 **-Jen**


	13. Fighting Against Frostbite

**It's starting to warm up (finally). I'm starting to work night shifts so let's see how this goes! Thanks for your reviews!**

* * *

Chapter 13

Fighting Against Frostbite

 _'Hey Prom. Do you have finals today?'_

She sent that text a few hours ago, and now she was sitting in the art wing eating away at her to-go lunch. She was so apprehensive that her appetite was near non-existent, but she convinced herself to eat knowing that she would be starving later in the day.

In her mind she had her checklist of places to go look if Prompto didn't reply: the art wing, library, cafeteria, his apartment, the chocobo café, and the arcade. She considered texting Ignis as a last resort, but she really didn't want to bother him since he had his hands full with Noctis and his studies.

Evie absentmindedly chewed her food as she looked at her phone for the umpteenth time. They haven't had a decent conversation since last week. She wasn't prepared for the realization that not only did it _hurt_ , she desperately missed his lame puns and daily stories.

She definitely messed up.

A few minutes ticked by and she finished her food. She got up from one of the plush arm chairs in the main hall and dumped her to-go box in a nearby trashcan.

"Evie?"

She whipped around, heart quickening. She tried not to show her disappointment when all she saw was dark hair and a dark outfit to match. "Prince Noctis?"

The prince wore a heavy winter jacket that could easily double as a sleeping bag if he wanted it to, with a half opened bag slung over his shoulder. "How's it goin?" He nodded at her.

"Eh," she shrugged. "It's going. You have a final today?"

He hid a yawn behind his hand. "Yeah. It doesn't start for another hour but Iggy kicked me out of my apartment. He said I might sleep through the test." He said with irritation etched all over his face.

"So you have an art final?"

"Nah. I have ancient history. I just came to nap on the couches here. The ones in I building are as hard as rocks."

Evie held back a snort. Figures. Just then a spark of an idea flitted through her mind, but just as she opened her mouth she thought against it. "Then I'll let you get to it then. A nap an hour before a test is cutting it close though." She said and went to side-step him.

"I've been meaning to talk to you, actually."

She froze. "Oh?"

Noctis gestured over to one of the pillars that stood along the main hall. The art building itself was small in square footage, but the immaculate interior design made up for it with its arched ceilings and displayed works of art created by the students. It had two floors and the first floor held the gallery and it had two rows of pillars running along the edge of the main corridor.

Evie rested against the pillar and Noctis mirrored her. "What's going on with you and Prompto?"

Her heart plummeted to her stomach with an earth shattering crash. First Ignis, and now Prompto's best friend. Of course. She swallowed thickly. "He told you about it didn't he?" She remembered yesterday that Ignis mentioned that Prompto consulted the group chat about the little tiff, so it was no secret to the gang that something wasn't right.

"Just bits and pieces. He keeps on saying it's fine, but I know him better than anyone." He said as he folded his arms. Despite their similar stature in height it felt like he was looking down on her. Evie felt utterly small with nothing to use as a shield. "Have you been talking to him?"

"I've been _trying_."

He arched a brow, silently prompting her to continue.

"We tried to make plans but things come up. I think with finals, it's just making it hard for us."

"Bullshit Evie. Prompto isn't telling me anything so I'm hoping you can fill in the gaps." Okay, getting scolded by the _prince of Insomnia_ was not a good feeling to have. Evie could feel her face heating up under his burning gaze.

She reeled her head back with a sigh. Noctis was going full 'best friend protection-mode' and she was getting the brunt of it. Evie finally looked at him in the eye and explained the situation to him. Of course she omitted some details to keep it short, but made it so her point was clearly heard.

The silence after that was deafening. He stared at her, his expression slowly transitioning to full realization after he processed what she said, and then he rubbed the back of his head.

"You basically labeled Prompto as one of those asswipes." He stated.

"I know, I know," she sighed quickly, looking up into the ceiling. "Lyra told me that, and Ignis probably did so too. You can never tell with that guy―anyways. I know what I did was dumb, and I should've told him earlier, but I thought I would be over it so I wouldn't have to tell him in the first place."

Noctis stood there for a moment. "I'm sorry you've had these hellish exes, but _c'mon_ Evie. I've known Prompto since high school, even before that, and he has always been a nice guy. Within the first thirty minutes of meeting the guy for the first time you'll know that he'd never use anybody or purposefully ruin someone's day."

Evie chewed the inside of her mouth, debating whether to let him continue barking up the same tree Lyra had been doing, or attempt to make a comment that could potentially transform into another half-ass excuse. She went for the former.

"You know he's been freaking out about your mood-change for the past couple weeks. He blamed himself."

Her head snapped up into attention. "It's not his fault! I've just been too self-absorbed and helplessly paranoid." She rubbed her forehead, trying to coax the tears back down.

"I'm not the one you should be telling this to."

"Then can you tell me where I can find him? I've been texting him and he hasn't been responding."

He sighed. His expression softened to something almost apologetic. "I don't know where he is right now. He's been kinda quiet since finals started. He's not at his apartment though: I already dropped by and he wasn't there. The guy had been falling over himself when Cindy was around, but obviously nothing came out of it. I'm just looking out for him because sometimes he's so happy-go-lucky he can't even watch where he's going. I don't want to see him get all upset like he was with Cindy again, alright?"

She nodded.

He shifted his weight onto his other leg. "But in all seriousness, I really am sorry that you went through that."

Evie acknowledged him and made an attempt at lightening the mood. "So you and Lady Lunafreya," she started, "you excited for the whole marriage-thing?"

He glanced away, clearing his throat. "Anxious, yeah."

"But you like her though so it's not like it's against your wishes."

"Eh," a light dusting of pink spread on his cheeks as he shrugged, "I guess."

"Forget it, Prince Noctis. Prompto already told me you have a huge thing for her. No need to be so tense about it." The ice on her face cracked when she let out a small smile.

"Dammit Prompto," he muttered under his breath. "Yeah, yeah. Oh―you can...er, drop the 'prince' title. It sounds weird when you say it. You're my friend's girlfriend so..."

At least she was moving up in the world on _some_ ladder. "Whatever you say, Noctis."

"Right…" he glanced over at the group of arm chairs and couches that dotted the hall. "Well I'm gonna catch up on sleep. Good luck finding Prompto."

"Thanks. Same to you, with the exam." He was about to walk away when she stopped him. "Wait! Ignis mentioned that Prompto could be at an arcade...do you have any idea which one?"

His eyes lit up in recognition and he fished out his phone from his jacket pocket. "Yeah, there's this one arcade we used to go to all the time back in high school. It's not that far from here. I'll text you the name."

Lyra wouldn't believe how Evie was getting everyone else's numbers in quick succession. _All that's left is Gladio's_ , she thought jokingly. When Noctis' number popped up on her screen she quickly put his name on it and read over the name of the arcade. "Thanks."

Noctis gave her a mock salute and trudged over to the chair. "Text me when you find him." He flopped into it un-prince-like and pulled the fur-lined hood over his eyes. To think he was going to be the future king of Lucis. Maybe he would attempt to install a required nap law.

As much as she wanted to entertain her silly ideas, she had work to do, and a blonde chocoboy to find. Evie started walking to the doors and zipped up her jacket. It was supposed to snow today.

* * *

Evie considered it karma the second she stepped foot outside. To pay back for all the hurt she probably put Prompto through, she was getting her face battered with cold wind and snow. She was going to find him to properly apologize, and she wasn't going to let the horrible hand of winter to get the best of her. At least she could knock off his apartment off the list.

She readjusted the scarf around her neck so it wouldn't fly off in the wind. Man, what she would do for teleportation powers, or even the warping powers Prompto kept on mentioning that Noctis had.

By the time she passed the campus' main gate she figured she would first go to the chocobo café so she could thaw out her freezing insides. She also needed to search where in the world the arcade was located. If it was too far she would have to hail a cab because no way in all of Eos was she going to trek through blistering cold wind to find an arcade she had never been to.

She arrived at the café nearly barging through the doors and slamming the door shut. She huffed and rubbed her arms and cursed the cold as she walked up to the cashier for a hot cup of coffee. While she waited she looked around the café and couldn't help a disappointed frown curl her lips. No Prompto.

"Here's your coffee!" The barista said and handed it to her over the counter.

"Thanks." She said politely and gladly accepted the drink and held it with both hands.

"You have a nice day, and try to stay warm," the girl said, noting the snowfall outside. "I heard it was going to get worse later in the day."

 _Great_. "I hope that's not the case." She took a sip too early and cringed as the liquid burned her frozen insides. Evie took a seat at her usual table, her frosted nose hovering over the lid so the steam could melt it.

She peeled the thick gloves off her hands so she could search the arcade's location. _Re:Play_ it was called, and it was a couple blocks from the café. She looked outside with dread and contemplated whether it was worth it to walk or take a cab. She held her coffee acknowledging it as she weighed her options silently. As much as she hated today's weather, her gut convinced her to just put up with it and walk through the fire―or the snow as it were. Before she got up from her seat she sent Prompto another text.

' _Promptooo'_

The terse message was replied with silence which she deemed as the new normal and a sigh escaped her lips. At this point she was just concerned. Where the hell was he? The fact that even Noctis wasn't sure of his location was enough to send another wave of worry on Evie's weathered brain.

It occurred to her that she could call instead of text, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to make a difference. That was understandable.

After taking a few more minutes to thaw herself out, she took a swig of her drink and went back out into the cold.

* * *

It seemed like the buildings magnified the intensity of the wind the further she got in. The wind crashed into each other as it desperately tried to find a path through all the skyscrapers that interrupted the wind's natural flow. The air howled in almost a menacing way as large gusts of wind sporadically shot through the roads and intersections in intervals. Evie found herself getting pushed and pulled by the unrelenting wind, and the snow felt like ice shards stabbing her face.

Luckily she found the arcade (it seemed that her phone was her only friend at the moment) and shut out all the cold air behind her. Thank the Six she wore a hat otherwise she would have to thaw out her ears and hair as well.

One of the workers looked up from the counter and gave her an odd look. He looked tired and bored, but then again it was in the middle of the day. High schoolers and middle schoolers were still in class so the arcade was empty. Almost lonely.

She regarded him with a quiet "hi" and started wandering around the building. There were no windows besides the ones in the front, and the lights that hung from the high ceilings were dim. The walls were white but no one would really notice it due to all the games that were pushed up against it. Noise was everywhere despite the lack of customers; she could hear music, various sound effects, and gunshot noises all around, but she failed locate a single person beside the poor guy running the place. Evie went around the arcade in one final attempt to hopefully find― "Prompto?" She froze and spun on her heels to do a double take.

The blonde didn't hear his name being called out as he was too engrossed in a shooter game with his back to her. Evie blinked, huffing a soft laugh. Of course he would be playing a shooter game. She slowly approached him, watching the screen with growing interest as he cleared each level like it was no big deal. He tapped the magazine to reload just before he shot up an enemy soldier.

The timer at the top of the screen started to blink with an alarming red and soon enough the game stopped, demanding more gil to be put in the machine if he wanted to continue. Prompto cursed and set the gun down to hastily fish through his pants pocket. "Aw man," he whined when he failed to find pocket change. He rolled out his neck as his final score popped up on the screen and Evie gawked at Prompto's name being the _only_ name dominating the top 10 list. How long was he here for?

Prompto stopped in mid-neck roll when his eyes flickered to the left. It dawned on her that she was now standing directly beside him, too enthralled with the gameplay to realize their close proximity. Evie held in a breath as they locked eyes in what felt like forever.

"Evie?" His voice broke the silence. He gazed sheepishly at the scoreboard and then at her. "How long have you been standing there?" He let out a breathy laugh.

"Not long…" her voice trailed off as she stared up in his eyes. They looked tired. Prompto didn't say anything, but he lifted his eyebrows waiting for her to say something else. "You weren't, uh, answering your phone." She finished lamely as she held it up. "Noctis was wondering where you were..."

Prompto hummed to himself and crouched down to where he placed his backpack. He rifled through one of the zipped pouches and took out his phone. He pressed the home button experimentally and hung his head after a few attempts. "My phone died…" he groaned. "Ahhh he must be worried."

She gave him a look. "How long were you here for?"

He let out a nervous laugh as he straightened back up, not looking at her. "It's best if I don't tell you."

"Have you been studying _at all_?" Her voice rose with curiosity and bewilderment.

Prompto pursed his lips, shoving his hands in his pockets. "So you were looking for me? Or on Noct's behalf?" The last part was icy like the sidewalks outside.

His words stung. "No―I _was_ looking for you because _I_ was worried...I just ran into him earlier today by chance." She deftly placed the coffee cup on a flat panel. "We haven't seen much of each other...I mean, I totally get why you wanna ignore me but...I just wanted to apologize." She quickly added, "Properly."

He cocked his head to one side, silent.

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier," she continued, shifting uncomfortably. "I honestly thought I was over it and I was too paranoid that you would run off if I _did_ tell you." Evie stopped herself short from spluttering like an idiot―well she _was_ , but she didn't want to turn into a bigger one.

They stood in another interval of silence. Both of them not looking at each other in the eye. If she could, she would've been able to take a knife and cut through the tension. Her mind was pacing restlessly, frantically wondering if she said something wrong or if she didn't say enough.

"Eve."

She looked up at him.

"I wasn't ignoring your texts to teach you a lesson if that's what you're thinking." He shrugged. "I just didn't know what to say."

" _The_ Prompto Argentum not knowing what to say?" She gasped, incredulous. "That's unheard of. A simple pun would've been nice."

"I thought you wanted more space…"

She shook her head, voice low. "I've been given too much space for a long time."

A wry smile curled his lips. "And I thought you didn't like my puns."

"Since when did I say _that_? Gladio may not like your puns as Noctis is to vegetables but I actually like your puns and jokes…" she paused, tilting her head from side-to-side, "even if they're kinda lame."

A glimmer shone in his eyes, something she hadn't realized she missed until now. "You _do_ like my puns?! Oh boy, I actually just thought of one when I walked in here." He rubbed his hands together. "So you know how ungodly windy it is out there?" She nodded. "Well went I went inside I thought, 'I was a little... _winded_ ' if y'know what I mean?!" He exclaimed with an eyebrow wiggle and a toothy grin.

"You're such a dork," she sighed. "Gods I missed you. I'm sorry." She murmured.

"You can stop apologizing. But I'm sorry for making you so worried." He tilted his head, an amused grin adorning his face. "I can't believe you actually went out to _look_ for me."

"Well," she shrugged. "I figured texting you would just lead to a dead end."

"Hmm," he glanced over at the game he was just playing, "you wanna play? There can be two players." He gestured to the second gun that was still in its slot.

Evie dropped her arms and stepped back to put her hands on her hips. "Prompto how long have you been here?" She repeated.

He licked his lips, swallowing. "A while…"

"Three days." She stated.

"No I wasn't!" He complained like he was a child. "Like…" he muttered, "two days and a quarter."

She balked. "Are you skipping your finals?"

"What?! No," he scoffed, " _hell_ no. I just go after...I had a final Monday and yesterday. And Friday."

"What about studying?"

"I don't _need_ to study for photography!" He whined. "And philosophy...I'll study for that eventually."

Evie took the liberty to poke him in the side, but failed to get a reaction because he was still wearing his heavy jacket. Prompto widened his eyes and she regretted it when she saw him smirk. "Oh no―no, no," she said sternly and held up a hand, "you need to study! You don't wanna retake that class."

Prompto quickly went around her hand and aimed for her sides, poking and prodding at her. She squeaked and slapped at his hands while trying to contain her laughter. The worker leaned over the counter after picking up on the ruckus. "Prompto." She said firmly.

He frowned. "Fiiiine," he grounded out. A rumble from his stomach drew both of their attention to it. "Oh yeah―I forgot to eat lunch…"

She couldn't believe this boy. "Get your stuff," she laughed. "I'll buy you lunch."

He slumped over with a melodramatic sigh. "But I want to play more games," he went to get his bag anyway.

"You have hundreds of games back at your place," she said in disbelief. "How can you be bored with _all_ of them?"

"You don't know the struggle of a gamer, Evie." He said almost primly.

Picking up her coffee, she finished it off. It cooled down a significant amount when she put it down. "I walked by a pizza place on my way here if you're interested in that."

"I'm game." He said as they made their way to the front of the arcade. Evie trashed her empty cup and she hastily put her gloves back on after seeing how heavy the snow was coming down. It was starting to stick to the ground in clumps. At least the wind died down.

They stepped back into the cold and Prompto zipped up his jacket. "I hate winter…" he muttered. "It's too cold.

"Well of course you'd say that. You're not wearing a hat or gloves."

He pointed at his hair (which was already getting large snowflakes stuck to it) "My hair will get ruined!"

"Cold ears or messed up hair, which one's worse?"

"Hair, obviously."

" _Six_ , you really want to freeze?" She asked, stepping over a puddle of water that was on the verge of icing over. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she promptly took it out.

' _You find Prompto yet?'_

Evie looked up to make sure she wasn't going to walk into anyone and quickly responded.

' _Yeah. He was at the arcade all day. His phone died'_

' _Pfft. Figures. Glad you found him'_

"Who's that?" Prompto asked, leaning somewhat over her shoulder.

She jumped. "Oh gosh―it's Noctis. He wanted to know if I found you yet."

He nodded. "Gotcha." Prompto looked around. "Soooo where's the pizza place?"

Evie took a moment to look over the buildings. She hurried to the arcade so she didn't take in much of her surroundings, but sure enough there was a sign of a pizza parlor a few shops down. "Over there," she pointed at it.

" _Yes._ I'm dying!" He exclaimed.

* * *

 **I'm just thinking of cute kisses in the winter with Prompto-UGH just think about it! He complains he's cold and takes your hands to warm up his face and then BAM! cute kiss! Why do I hurt myself like this...Prompto isn't even real *le sigh***

 **-Jen**


	14. Let Me Know

**Geeze I'm at 14 chapters already? I plotted things out until chapter 20...guess I gotta start plotting again ;;; and to answer one of your guys' reviews: sadly there's no kiss in this chapter but I'll make it up to you with fluff in the mean time (not a lot of fluff in this chapter though)**

* * *

Chapter 14

Let Me Know

Lunch rush didn't appear to be a problem for the two when they arrived at the pizza parlor. They were given a table quickly and now they were perusing the menu ('they' as in just Prompto because Evie wasn't hungry). The place was nothing too fancy, for the sake of her wallet, but nearly all the tables were occupied in the rather homey styled restaurant so their food had to be at _least_ slightly above average.

Prompto glanced up from the menu and frowned when she saw hers lying flat on the table. "Aren't we sharing this pizza?" He asked, confused.

"I had lunch a while ago. I don't think I can eat pizza right now." She said, aligning the menu corner so it matched the table's.

"Well we can just get a small!" He said. "I don't wanna eat a whole pizza by myself." The look in his eyes showed that he was clearly capable of doing said deed.

She tossed the idea around and finally agreed. "Okay. Small pizza, whatever toppings you want is fine―no mushrooms though."

"Aye aye, captain."

The waitress rounded their table and they ordered their drinks and meal. She collected their menus and scurried off to get them their drinks. Lunch went by smoothly enough. The pizza came in faster than what Evie expected and she watched in shock as Prompto easily ate 3 slices of pizza. She nearly finished her first one by the time he was gnawing at the crust.

"What's up? Pizza no good?" He asked, glancing at her plate. The pizza tray had two more slices left.

"No it's not that. I told you: I'm not super hungry right now." She said simply and took a sip of her water.

They both did their best to avoid particular topics that had left them unintentionally estranged for several days. After Evie went over what remaining finals she had left and how Lyra was struggling to get through studying, she stopped herself.

"In speaking of studying, I was in the library after an exam and I ran into Ignis."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "Apparently Noctis was hiding from him. Ignis mentioned something about a political report."

"That's Noct for ya." He shrugged with a smile. "He wants nothing to do with all of these politics but he's gonna have to get through it after this summer." His smile was replaced with a sad frown. "No doubt he's gonna be super busy…"

Evie swirled the straw in her cup absentmindedly. "That's why you gotta make the last trips the biggest. Ignis told me you guys were going to Galdin when the prince was done with finals."

He nodded. "Oh―yeah. We'll be gone for most of break. I would've mentioned it to you, but I didn't know if you'd be interested."

She knew the hidden meaning behind that but she went along with it anyway.

"I mean, the offer still stands but I get it if you still want your space." He said, voice trailing off slightly. "It would be nice though," he continued, "you never been to Galdin Quay so I could get to show you all the cool spots on the beach. Noct really loves the fishing there."

"No it's fine." She said softly. She watched him as she spoke. "I already have things planned out with my folks here. I rather not send my mom into a hissy fit." Besides, if Prompto _did_ invite her earlier her answer would've been leaning towards a no. It looked like Prompto got the hint beforehand.

"We can do something later this year?" He offered.

"If we plan it then sure."

"Maaan," he leaned back in his chair. "You're like Iggy. Live a little! You need to keep yourself on your toes once in a while."

"If I do that I might fall."

"Then I'll catch you."

They both stared at each other for a moment. Did he just drop a pickup line? By the looks of Prompto's cheeky smile, her suspicions were confirmed. He wiggled his eyebrows and made a _cha-ching!_ move with his arm. "That was totally smooth and you know it."

"Do you have a book of puns and pickup lines?"

"I have a book in here," he said and tapped the side of his head. "I made a few really good ones last summer y'know."

"I don't doubt you."

The waitress came by with a to-go box and the check. She offered desserts but Evie felt that if she had another bite then she would explode. Despite the excited look Prompto gave her, she declined for the both of them and the waitress went off to her other tables.

"So then do you want to go on any trips with me and the guys in the future?"

She shrugged. "It depends on things." Evie placed the two slices in the box and closed it.

"I figured. It was worth a shot." He said.

Evie placed her card with the check. "I'm not shooting down the idea on the spot." She muttered. "I just need to think about it. I don't go on these huge road trips as often as you."

"Okay, okay. Sorry for asking."

She looked up at him. "It's not bad to ask."

Their server swung by and went off with the card and check. Moments later she came back and told them to have a nice day. They stood as she filed her card away in her wallet before heading for the door. Once they were out, she put her gloves back on.

"If you told me that you were leaving with the guys earlier, it would be no big deal." She said.

"Funny. I could say the same for you after what happened this past week, but y'know…" he told her with a shrug of his shoulders. Evie exhaled. The words bothered her more than she anticipated. He got her.

* * *

There was a few minutes of silence on their walk back to campus. The streets were busy but the sidewalks were not. It was apparent the snow and ice scared off most of the city goers. Evie stepped over a grate that had melted snow draining into it.

"Are you mad?" He asked quietly.

She sighed. "Not at you if that's what you're thinking. I don't blame you for not telling me or inviting me to tag along. I already have my break filled out so it's not like I would've joined in. If anything, I'm mad at myself."

"Can we hold hands?"

If there was ice on the ground she would've slipped. She looked at him, astonished and confused by the request. Prompto momentarily looked at her before putting his attention forward. She couldn't tell if it was the cold biting at his cheeks, but she thought he blushed. Evie took out her right hand and held it out. "Okay."

He clasped his hand with hers. The coldness from his hand seeped through her glove and she shivered. The tension from his shoulders eased out. "You're the first girl I've held hands with―besides my mom." He admitted.

"What about your other girlfriends?"

He let out a nervous laugh and scratched his cheek. "I didn't tell you? You're...you're my first girlfriend."

She blinked. "No you did _not_ tell me. Are you serious?" Was she supposed to believe that this super friendly guy never dated?

"As serious as Gladio loves cup noodles." He looked up to see the gray overcast. "There was this one girl a couple years ago who went to U of I. I tried to get her attention...but I didn't get the guts to ask her out."

"So I'm your first girlfriend." She repeated.

He nodded. "I thought I told you buuuuut I guess not."

Their hands swung back and forth gently.

"I wouldn't have even guessed. I'm surprised you don't have a fan club."

"Pfft as if. I wasn't always so outgoing before, especially in middle school. I was super shy and I chickened out whenever I talked to Noct."

She shook her head. "I can't imagine you being all shy and quiet."

"Believe what you want. Ask Noct if you think I'm lyin'."

She quirked her brows. "I believe you."

They continued to walk with their joined hands going back and forth with their step.

"So...with all things considered, you're fine with taking things slow?"

He squeezed her hand. "That's completely okay with me. Just promise me something?"

"What's that?"

They reached a crosswalk and stopped to wait for the lights to change. He tugged her close so that their arms were touching. "No more secrets?"

Evie closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again a ghost of a smile remained, and she squeezed his hand back. "Promise."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer. The light changed and they started to cross the street that was riddled with a light layer of slush.

"I bet you're gonna miss all of this _wonderful_ weather when you're at Galdin Quay." Evie said, gesturing to the snow capped signs and traffic lights.

"Oh yeah, _definitely_." He nodded, not bothering to hide the scowl on his face when he looked at the snow and slush. "I'll miss freezing my toes and ears."

* * *

Evie walked with him to the library. They stood at the front door underneath an overhang to shield them from the brunt of the weather. She smiled at him, pausing for a bit. Prompto shifted his weight on his legs, and for a split second it felt like they were both waiting for something. He looked like he wanted to hug her, and part of Evie wanted to too…

But the bruises were still fresh, and in the end she poked his shoulder and said, "Go and study for a bit. I'm gonna take a nap when I get back."

"Alright." He said albeit reluctant. He looked at the front doors and slouched. "Tomorrow I don't have finals...so maybe we can do something―and I mean it this time. We should have a gaming marathon."

"I told you I suck at videogames. You'll beat me at all of them." She warned.

"We can do co-ops!" He insisted with a grin. "You need to take a break, Eve."

She stared at him.

"If you don't then I'm assuming you're...unfun."

"Oh _c'mon_ ," she whined. "I'm fun!" _To an extent at least_ , she thought.

"Nope." He pointed his lips and folded his arms. "You can't convince me otherwise."

"Fine," she held up her hands. "You win. So tomorrow?"

Prompto put his hand on the door and yanked it open. He shot her finger guns. "You bet."

* * *

Evie made it back to her dorm, nose alarmingly red and face frozen. She opted out on taking the elevator and took the stairs in hopes of shaking the ice off her bones and joints.

When she made it to her dorm she shook out her keys from her jacket pocket and unlocked the door. Slinging her coat over a nearby chair, she flopped onto her bed. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, hello!" A feminine voice sang.

Evie smiled and scooted to the far end of the bed so that her back was resting up against the wall. "Hey, Mom."

"Are you studying?"

"No...I have my last one on Friday, but it's no big deal. We just gotta show up to get credit."

Evie's mom, Davina, was quite the opposite of herself, but had a nurturing soul. She was a school teacher for elementary kids and loved her job, but she was starting to show the age and stress that had been tolling on her body over the years.

"So when's your last exam? Are you coming home in the afternoon?"

Evie brought her legs towards her and sat with them criss-crossed. "It's in the morning...I probably might come home in the afternoon. It depends on how long Prompto's staying before he leaves for break."

She had told her mom about her newly acquired boyfriend a couple weeks ago figuring that she wouldn't have the ability to keep it from her (that and she didn't want Lyra blabbing it to her mother before Evie could tell her). Since then her mom occasionally asked about him but didn't press further into matters, which Evie was grateful for.

"Oh he's going on another infamous road trip?" Her mom sighed. "That's too bad. I wanted to meet him."

"When he comes back I can tell him about it. Maybe we'll drop by for a weekend?" She offered.

"So where's he and the Prince going this time?"

"They're going to Galdin Quay for most of break."

"Aww," Evie could imagine her mom wearing a sympathetic smile right now, "well you can always text him."

"Yeah…" she paused. "So how's work?"

A thoughtful sigh came from the other end. "Everyone's just getting restless with break coming up. We've been all making decorations for the party we're throwing for the last day and I can just _taste_ the cupcakes and brownies."

"Save some for me."

"If there's any left then you got it! So, is Lyra doing anything fun this break?"

"Not sure…"

"You should invite her to go ice skating with us at the mall! The decorations are more beautiful than last year."

"I'm sure she'd love to. I'll ask her," she said, grinning. "She's struggling really hard with studying and all."

"Oh! Bring her over for dinner! I also finished setting up the guest room so if she needs a place to crash then she's free to do so."

"You really _are_ her adoptive mother." Evie snorted.

"Treat your adoptive sister as such! I haven't seen her in forever."

"I will," she drawled out as she fiddled with the seam line of her pillow case. "Oh yeah, I don't know if I told you this but Lyra found herself my new replacement. She says I spend too much time with Prompto."

Davina laughed. "Oh really? Who is it?" Clearly she cruised over the rest of the sentence without much thought.

"Iris. She's Gladiolus' little sister―y'know, Prince Noctis' bodyguard."

"Hmm, an Amicitia huh? Is she leaving for break too?"

Evie shrugged. "I dunno. She's pretty independent and I rarely see her with Gladio. I guess she has her own things to do."

"Gosh, you're meeting all of these famous people now. I feel like I should get your autograph."

She rolled her eyes. "Aren't you still working?"

"The kids are having recess outside and I'm not on duty for today."

"Ahh."

"Well I just figured that I would call you to see how you're doing. You're almost done with college!" Davina sang again. "My daughter is graduating this spring."

"One more semester…"

"And make it count―but don't do anything stupid or I'll kick your ass."

"I understand."

"Good! I love you and good luck with your exam! I'll see you on Friday."

Evie smiled. "Love you too. Bye."

"Buh-bye!"

* * *

She was woken up with a start when her phone buzzed on her bed. Her eyes were riddled with sleep and turned over and get back to her nap. Her mind was playing a game of tug-of-war in and out of consciousness by the time her phone buzzed _again_.

Evie grumbled and felt for her phone. Laying on her stomach, she propped her elbows on her pillow to look at her new messages.

 _'I finally got my phone charged T . T im alive!'_

And:

 _'I studied for 2 hours are you happy now. Imma stuff my face and play video games now'_

Evie glanced at the clock, realizing that her 2 hour nap felt like 8 hours. She yawned.

 _'You woke me uuuupppp'_

 _'O sorry ;p go back to sleep'_

 _'I will'_

 _'So tomorrow we're doing a thing?'_

 _'Mhmm'_

 _'Okie. sweet dreams'_

* * *

 **So I also made a Spotify playlist for songs that have inspired a few chapters, so if you guys are interested I can put in the link in the next chapter so you guys can get a better idea of what certain moods would be going on in scenes and such. See you guys next week!**

 **-Jen**


	15. The Universal Solution

**So apparently FF is being weird and not sending notifications for new chapters? Well that's somewhat irritating (I hope you guys get this update notification-) and it seems like I wasn't too clear with the whole chocobro road trip- the way I had it in mind was that since I planned Noctis and Luna's wedding in the summer, I think the road trip there during the _summer_ would be their last hurrah in a sense (the road trip we all know and love) so this winter one isn't the final trip, but don't worry I don't have Evie planned on going on their _last_ trip either. (I have something else in mind heheh)**

 **Spotify playlist, just remove the spaces:** **open. spotify user/ anonymouspi3.14/ playlist/ 2mikkfkRvwQmKtMdLdlxcu**

 **Chapter inspired from "Say You Like Me"**

* * *

Chapter 15

The Universal Solution

When it came to planning for these two, they always manage to forget about important details like _when_ they should meet and _where_. Even with only one relatively easy final on Evie's plate, her mind was still stretched across so many things―mostly focusing on what she was going to do with her mom over break and her next steps leading to graduation.

It was another snowy day in Insomnia and Evie brought it upon herself to drop by Prompto's place with another gift of food―hamburgers from a chain burger place inside the school's cafeteria.

The smell of the burgers and fries were teasing her as she trekked up the all-too familiar flight of stairs to Prompto's apartment and she fought the urge to sneak a fry when she knocked on his door.

Behind the door Evie could hear a door slamming and the sound of footfalls. Did she wake him up again? The door was quickly swung open to reveal a bewildered Prompto, crazed eyes, shirtless, while wearing plaid pajama pants.

They both said nothing and Evie gave him a once over, eyes slowing at his bare, lean abdomen, which was adorned in freckles, and then she went up to his hair which was still in his usual style.

"H-hi," she choked, hiding a laugh but a huge smile crept up on her face.

"Hi!" Prompto exclaimed, slowly trying to process what was going on. He slumped his shoulders. "I didn't give you a time, did I?"

"Nope." She shook her head.

"Right…" he scratched the back of his head before snapping up in realization, "oh! Come in! Gods it's freezing out there!" The blonde quickly ushered her inside and closed the door. He looked down at himself. "Oh―lemme put on a shirt real quick! Sorry!" He said quickly and and dashed into his room. Evie shook her head with disbelief and peeled off her jacket, slinging it over the arm of the couch.

Prompto emerged from his room wearing a wrinkled black shirt, face as red as his pants. "Sorry...the place is a mess…" he murmured, gesturing to scattered pop cans and energy drinks on the coffee table and a torn open box with bubble wrap still inside sitting on the kitchen counter. It looked like a few of the bubbles were popped.

"It's no problem." She said and held up a greasy bag of food. "I bring sustenance."

Prompto made an excited gasp. "So _that's_ what I was smelling! Hamburgers?!" He asked, flashing her a grin.

She went to the kitchen counter and set the bag down, taking out its contents. "Yep. I got fries too."

"Ahh, you shouldn't have." He said as he went to fish out some paper plates sitting beside the sink. "But I'm actually starving, sooo perfect timing! You want to eat now?"

"Sure."

They got their food situated and they were sitting at the kitchen island in comfortable silence. The occasional nods and approving sighs came from Prompto like this was the best meal he's had. He leaned back in his seat, licking some mustard off of his thumb and he glanced over at her. They both locked eyes and they didn't break eye contact until Prompto wiggled his eyebrows like always. Evie laughed and returned to focusing on her food.

She swallowed. "Did I wake you up again?"

A pregnant pause. "No."

Evie took a sip of her water. "Did you sleep at _all_?"

"Boy these fries are really good―"

"Oh come on," she said. "Don't change the subject. I'm assuming you didn't then."

" _Really_ good fries," he pressed and popped one in his mouth.

"You were gaming all night, weren't you?"

"Eve you know everything! What's the point in answering?" He pouted and quietly added, "The game's really addicting…"

"What game?"

"Terraria."

She gave him a blank stare. "...what's that?"

"Oh my gosh you don't know what that is?" He rasped.

Her face heated up. "I don't game!" She defended.

"It's basically where you can build whatever you want. You get put in a world of your choosing and you just loot, craft, and kill monsters. I get carried away with building houses…"

"Sounds tedious."

He scrunched up his face in thought. "Ehhh, yeah I guess if you start with a fresh character but I put in an ungodly amount of hours in that so I just transfer stuff world to world so I can get a head start. It's really fun when you're doing multiplayer."

Evie finished half of her fries by now and absentmindedly swung her legs back and forth from the stool. "Is it a hard game?"

"Only if you're playing in expert mode...or unless you maxed out your armor and weapons then expert mode is just a walk in the park." His eyes lit up. "Do you wanna play? I can play with my laptop and you can have my pc!"

"Why not?"

"Aw _yes_ ―but first, can you wait out here so I can uhh...clean up my room a bit?"

She laughed and gave him a wave of dismissal. "Go ahead."

"Gotcha," he said and hopped off the stool, scampering over to his room. Not even a few seconds passed before he called out from his room. "Okay c'mon in!" Evie slid off her chair and followed in after him.

She had never been in Prompto's room and she was greeted to a light gray room with the blinds slightly open to let in some light. The bed was off to the side, sheets rumpled but not completely messy. There was a huge black bean bag chair that looked like it could swallow her whole sitting across his desk, which was the neatest thing in his room surprisingly. The wall the desk was sitting at was covered in photos, ones he probably took, and she smiled at the same picture she saw when they were on that balcony a week ago. She shoved back the bad memories that followed after that picture was taken.

The desk was black and it was _huge_. His computer took up half of the space and the other half had stacks of papers and his camera sitting on one of the small shelves.

Prompto had pulled up a second rolly chair from who knows where and set up his laptop after he cleared some space for it. He patted the rolly chair next to him, which looked ten times comfier with the added cushions.

Evie took a seat, getting the small hints of citrus and mint from the chair and all around. She drew up her legs so she could criss cross them, surprisingly the chair was big enough for that, and observed his monster of a pc. The screen was _huge_ , and it had a keyboard and mouse that changed to all the colors of the rainbow. The tower which was seated underneath the desk had bright blue lights coming from it. It looked like everything was brand new, but she wasn't a gamer so she couldn't be the judge of that. Regardless, she was very impressed and officially convinced that this boy _loved_ his video games.

Prompto scooted closer to her. Terraria's menu was already displayed on both of their screens. "You wanna create your own character?"

"I can do that?"

"Yeah!" He laughed, "See?" He said and pointed to the selection. After a few minutes of toggling through her options she was satisfied with her character's design. "Okay, I'll send you a join request." Sure enough the message popped up at the bottom of the screen. She clicked the link and after a few seconds of loading she saw her little character in a pixelated forest world.

"Hey there I am!" She said, excitement already building up. "I see you."

He snorted. "I see you too. Okay, okay, so you use WASD to move and to scroll through your inventory just use the mouse wheel."

After fumbling around with the controls, she got the basics and was already chopping down trees. A slime appeared from the far corner of her screen and she started to panic. "Uh oh―"

"What is it?"

"There's this green thing of slime coming― _ah!_ " She yelped as her character was getting attacked.

A few minutes ticked away and Prompto had already built them a house while Evie explored what she could. "Hey what's this red world?"

"Oh no, Evie get outta there! You're too squishy!" He said alarmed as he glanced at her screen before returning to his.

"Is it filled with monster―ew, ew, ew, what's that _thing_?!" A floating eyeball with pincers came flying into her screen and she high tailed it back to the house. Alas, it was still following her. "Oh my gosh, Prompto help I don't know what to do―" she was laughing. She got to their house as the monster started to get closer. "How do I open the door?!"

"Right click!"

"I'm trying!"

"The _door_! Right click the _door_!"

" _Prompto_ it's attacking me!"

"Oh my gods," he muttered and jumped over part of the house and instantly killed it with a clearly over-powered sword. By the time he killed it she managed to get in the house and she was huddled near a fire. "Hang on, lemme give you some stuff."

Prompto took a few minutes to explain how to equip her stuff and use things just in case she was about to die again, and she left the house and explored the rest of the world in the _opposite_ direction of the Crimson. Evie nonstop smiled as she tore through waves of vultures, bats, and slimes with her new set of weapons―that is until she fell into a mine shaft that Prompto had dug up beforehand.

"Half of my health is gone!"

"Use a potion then!"

Evie pouted and used it anyways. She started to explore the caves and after a few near-death falls, she came across an underground house. At this point she became a pro at looting, as in she just took everything she saw even though Prompto told her many times that they didn't need certain items anymore.

"Why am I seeing lava?"

"You're near hell."

"There's a hell in this game?!"

"Please don't go down there. You kinda need wings to get around."

"Something's _shooting_ at me!" She exclaimed.

"Get outta there!"

"But I see a bunch of cool stuff in that house over there…"

"Uuuuugh, okay, hang on." In a few seconds his character appeared next to her. He gave her a set of wings as well.

"How did you teleport?"

"I used a potion. Okay, equip these and tap the spacebar once and then hold it down again."

They explored hell and Evie nearly got swallowed in a pool of lava. They finally warped home and started sorting their bounty.

Their game went on for who knows how long, and by the time they turned their shack into an oversized mansion it was almost three-thirty. Evie sat back in her chair and rolled out the crick in her neck and rubbed her face. "I understand why you pulled an all-nighter now." She stretched out her legs and sighed appreciatively.

"I haven't played this game in _forever_. Guess I just binge play it when I do. Snack break?"

"Yes _please_."

* * *

Evie had found a box of chocolate chip cookies in Prompto's pantry and was happily nibbling on her second one when something small flew into her face. She screeched and nearly dropped her cookie. She looked down at her feet to see a small foam dart and then she looked up in the direction of where it came from.

Prompto stood peering over the bedroom door threshold with a smile as huge as the dart gun in his hand. "What the hell?! I nearly dropped by cookie!" She protested.

He quickly made it to across the kitchen island and tossed her another dart gun in her direction. "Think fast!"

Evie gasped and shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth before managing to successfully grab the gun before it clattered on the floor. She pulled the trigger and missed him by a hair as he dove behind the couch and took a shot. She squeaked and ducked behind the island. _Are we really duking it out with dart guns?!_

"You can't hide forever, Eve!" He called out from his spot.

"I can say the same for you!" She exclaimed and leaned over the the corner and shot him at the same moment when Prompto looked over the couch. He complained when she got him square in the forehead and she laughed.

Evie scurried over to the couch and took a few more shot at him as he literally _tuck and rolled_ away, skirting the coffee table. "Take this!" He exclaimed and shot several rounds at her. Evie held up a hand to block the darts aimed at her face while shooting back at him.

Eventually they ran out of ammo, and Prompto had his back on the ground with foam darts littered around his body. He picked up his head, smiling. "Another round?"

"You attacked me from out of nowhere and _ruined_ my snack time." She accused.

"There's more cookies!"

"That's not the point." She crouched down and started picking up the darts.

"One more round though?" He wheedled. "I'll give you a headstart. Loser has to get dinner."

"You're gonna destroy me! That's hardly a fair game." Evie exclaimed and chucked the darts at him.

" _Un-fun_ ," he repeated. "I will declare you un-fun and boring."

"That's redundant."

"C'mon Eve!"

She groaned.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, their guns had been discarded on the couch with most of the darts picked up and Prompto holding up a few carry out menus in front of her. Either he let her win or she won out of beginner's luck. The kitchen was the battlefield and she got him cornered when his gun supposedly got jammed. She got him square in the face many times before she ran out of ammo and was then declared the winner.

Evie picked pasta as their dinner and Prompto called them. Another thirty minutes passed and they were eating in the kitchen once again. Prompto was rummaging through the fridge for a drink while Evie was on her phone checking for any updates for the previous applications she sent in a few days ago.

She absentmindedly scrolled through her email, deleting spam once in a while when Prompto finally took a seat beside her.

"Hmm, whatchya doing?" He inquired.

"Checking my email…"

"Fooor?"

She twirled some spaghetti on her fork. "I sent in a few applications for job openings in Insomnia. I wondered if they got back to me."

"Ahh," he nodded and shoveled some pasta in his mouth. "Soo... you're gonna stay in Insomnia after we graduate then?"

"Well yeah. Insomnia's the only place I've ever known. I'm not exactly crazy about the idea of moving any time soon." She frowned when she refreshed her inbox three times to find no new email. She put her phone down. "What about you? Are you going to travel the world when we graduate?"

The blonde shrugged as he moved the sauce around with his fork. "Not right now―I need money to do that." He thought for a moment. "Regardless, since I'm in Crownsguard, I gotta stick around Noct, especially when he becomes king. I might do freelance photography and submit stuff to travel companies or the paper, but I'm staying in the city."

She furrowed her brows, baffled. "Wait _what_?"

"What?"

"You said _Crownsguard_. I thought you were just his friend…"

He slumped back in his chair, incredulous. "I didn't tell you that?"

"No!"

"I thought I did…" he nodded. "Yeah, Crownsguard." He repeated nonchalantly.

Evie shook her head. "I can't believe this."

"No I'm serious! I have the uniform!" He exclaimed and held up a hand. "Wait―I'll show you!" He didn't give her time to respond when he took off and went to his room once again.

Evie swiveled in her chair, arms crossed, interest piqued. Moments later her boyfriend emerged with the whole ensemble. She looked at him from head to toe shamelessly. Sure enough she recognized the black jacket with gold and silver accents along with the black pants. All he was missing was the boots. Prompto finished buttoning the last button and he tilted his head to one side. He turned around to show off the all-too familiar design on the back of his jacket and she nodded her approval.

His naturally boyish looks were immediately replaced with a wave of masculinity and maturity that Evie had no idea Prompto was capable of possessing and dammit she was going to turn into Lyra if she stared at him any longer.

"Okay, I believe you." She said primly.

"Pfft, and you thought I was lying," he said with a smirk.

The smirk and garb just amplified his attractiveness by one hundred, and she found herself sputtering, ears going red. "Well you never seem to―I dunno what to believe. I-I just didn't think that―oh my gods I can't talk right now―"

Prompto folded his arms, amused. "Eve, are you blushing?"

"Does that even matter right now?" She defended hotly.

"Do I look good?" He asked with innocent undertones, but he looked like knew what he was doing.

Evie crossed her legs at her ankles, arms still folded. "You clean up nicely, yes." She kept herself from falling over her words like last time.

"Nnnoot the answer I was looking for."

She groaned. " _Six_ , Prompto, _yes_ you look very good. Super attractive, really cute."

He laughed. "I can't believe I made you blush so hard!"

Evie stubbornly twisted in her seat and went to her food. "You made your point! Go change." Her boyfriend merely hummed in content and went back to change into his previous clothes. He emerged a few moments later with a smug look on his face that could outdo Gladio's.

"Wipe that grin off your face." She muttered, slurping up more spaghetti.

"Nope." He popped the 'p' and went to rinse off his dish. "Guess Gladio was right when he said that fancy suits drive girls crazy."

Evie groaned. "Of course he said that."

"Today I've learned that you find my uniform really good lookin'." He continued with a smile.

"And I've learned that my boyfriend is in Crownsguard and he's a complete kid."

Prompto stopped the water and looked up at her, smiling. "Say that again."

"Say what?"

"That I'm your boyfriend."

She breathed through her nose and conceded. "You're my boyfriend."

"You're my girlfriend."

Evie rolled her eyes, unable to help the smile that curled her lips regardless.

* * *

They finished their day together with an action movie with the overused, yet still entertaining, trope of aliens taking over the world. Neither of them fell asleep this time and they spent most of the time talking about how cheesy some of the special effects were or Prompto fangirling over his favorite actor. When the movie ended, Evie finally shifted in her spot, which was right next to Prompto, and stretched out her legs.

"I think I need to get going." She sighed in relief as she rolled out her neck.

Prompto pouted and leaned on her, his hair tickling her ear and the underside of her chin. "But it's only ten! One more movie?"

"I have an exam at _nine_ tomorrow! I need to make sure I wake up on time." She said, moving to take the blanket off her lap. The credits started to roll with some upbeat guitar riff playing in the background. "So when do you leave tomorrow?"

Prompto reached over to the arm of the couch to turn on the lamp sitting on a small stand. Evie cringed at the bright light. "My final's at ten and Noct's is at noon...so when he's done we'll be off on the road."

Evie felt around the couch for her phone and then slid it in her pocket. "Alright."

"We can hang out for a bit before I go." He added hurriedly.

She stood from the couch and picked up the popcorn bowl. "You probably need time to pack. I don't want you running around like your head's cut off."

Prompto took the bowl from her hands and munched on the now cooled off snack. "But we won't see each other for a few weeks! I...I need to see you one last time." He looked up at her with his bright blue eyes. The way he quirked his lips into this little hopeful smile made him utterly adorable.

"I'll be in my room packing after my final," she said and poked his forehead. He reached for her hand and held it gently.

"I'll miss you…" he murmured and gave the back of her hand a small kiss. Evie, startled, pulled her hand away, blushing wildly.

"Since when did you become all suave?"

He grinned. "You haven't noticed? I'm naturally this suave," he said and dramatically ran his fingers through his hair. Evie laughed and went to fetch her jacket. Prompto followed suit, watching her shove her arms into the jacket sleeves. He snorted when he saw her long sleeves get bunched up in the jacket's and how Evie was fumbling to smooth them out. "Wait a second!" He said. She looked at him questionably when he took her arms and bent them like she was flexing. " _Whoa_!You're muscles are _huge_! Yeah, look at those guns!"

Evie doubled over in laughter with Prompto as she lightly smacked at his chest. Her stomach clenched up as she gasped for breath. Prompto's face had turned red for laughing so hard, and after their giggle fits receded they stared back at each other, grins huge. Evie bit her lip to contain another peal of laughter and she shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

"But you like it though," he chuckled at her expression. "You can face off against Gladio with those arms of yours," he teased and gave the bunched up sleeves a squeeze.

"Oh my gosh," she laughed and took off her jacket to fix her sleeves. "I need to get going." She repeated and successfully put on her coat free from unexpected muscle gaining.

Prompto reeled his head back, letting out a melodramatic sigh. "Alright, alright. At least let me walk you back. I don't want you to get jumped by some possessed snowman."

Evie smirked. "You wanna go out in those pjs of yours?"

He looked down at his pants, surprised. "Crap, forgot I was still wearing these!" He laughed. "Lemme change!" He said and bounded to his room, coming out with a pair of jeans. He didn't bother changing his shirt. He put on his boots and his winter coat and grabbed his keys. "Off to the frozen tundra we go!" He sang as they left his apartment.

* * *

 **Next chapter we have Prompto skipping away to another trip with his dudes, leaving Evie at the mercy of her friend's shenanigans.**

 **-Jen**


	16. Wish You Were Here

**Oh no-I'm starting to lag behind with updates. OH NO.**

* * *

Chapter 16

Wish You Were Here

Evie's final was just as chill as she expected it to be. All she did for the two hours there was sit around and play cards with her classmates. Some people brought in food, other didn't even show up.

Now she was in her dorm, slowly packing a small bag to bring home for break. Lyra had a final today but she already had her bag neatly packed at the foot of the bed for a quick escape back home. Evie was sitting on the floor, cross legged as she rolled up a few clothes into her suitcase.

Her phone buzzed but she managed to lose track of it so now all she heard was the teasing buzzing noise coming from it, unable to find the damned thing. Eh, she'll find it later when she was done packing. Straightening herself up, she went to the bathroom to grab her toothbrush and toothpaste when she heard the door swing open. Guess Lyra was done early.

She emerged from the bathroom and was immediately jumped on by someone who _wasn't_ Lyra. She dropped her things with a yelp as she was spun around in a circle before being set back down. Evie looked up, face red, heart beating, when she saw Prompto's goofy grin. "Hiya," he said.

" _Hi_ ," she wheezed. The girl playfully elbowed him in the chest. "You scared me dammit!"

"Sorry," he lied and picked up her dropped items. "I said I was on my way but you didn't respond."

She took the things from his hands and tossed them into the open suitcase. "My phone's buried somewhere."

"Ahh," he said and went over to plop on her bed. The plush covers made a _floof!_ noise when he landed. "How was your final?"

"It was nice," she said as she started rummaging through her desk to grab her laptop and various odd-ball items. "There was food there― _oh_ I should've saved you some."

"You had _food_?! Man, there was this kid next to me that kept on clicking his pen and it was super annoying. Like, the dude should've just brought a pencil instead!"

Evie smirked. It was apparent that food was one of the things they bonded over. "Well I'm sure Lyr wouldn't mind if we stole some popsicles, but other than that I'm fresh out of stuff."

"Nah, that's okay," he said as he looked around Evie's bed. "Iggy's bringing some food to hold us over before dinner." Prompto swung his legs back and forth. "You know this is the first time I actually got a look at your dorm. It's cute!"

She furrowed her brows. Prompto had rarely stepped into her dorm since they were dating, so how in the world did he remember where her dorm was? "How did you find this place?"

"Oh, I just asked around," he shrugged. "I knew it was on this floor, but I didn't remember what number…"

Wrapping the charging cord around her laptop's battery, she carefully placed it in her bag. "Did you pack for your trip?"

"If you mean by throwing stuff into a backpack then yes!" He said as he shrugged off said backpack. It looked heavy, and the sound it made when it landed on the ground proved her suspicions. "Iggy's probably gonna freak when he sees how wrinkled all my clothes are but whatever," he said with a grin. "He has to plan Noct's bag probably."

Evie snorted. "Ignis is definitely designated mom."

"The dude has no chill."

"When he has to take care of you _and_ the prince then I can't blame him!"

Prompto sent her a frown as he slouched. "That's cold."

She petulantly stuck her tongue out at him and went to her closet to rifle through. All she needed were her gloves, which she managed to misplace like her phone. It was so strange―she just had them a week ago!

"Sooo whatcha gonna do over break?" Prompto called out as he started to fiddle with one of the blankets that was folded at the end of her bed.

"Eh, do boring stuff probably. Go to the mall, hang around."

"That doesn't sound boring."

She turned around with a coat in her arms and a scarf in the other. "That's strange as I do recall you calling me 'un-fun and boring'."

"That's what I would call you if you didn't join in on the games!"

"You threatened to call me boring."

"But I didn't!" At her glare he added, "You're really fun―especially when you play video games."

"Uh-huh," she nodded unconvinced. "And you're gonna go frolick off with your chocobos and take down monsters and such."

He pursed his lips but he didn't say anything.

She was almost done with packing, except for her gloves. She could just buy a pair but spending money that she didn't have didn't seem appealing. Off to the closet she went. "So...three and a half weeks you'll be gone then."

"Yep," his voice was soft. He exhaled through his nose and glanced at Evie's back as she stood on her tip toes to feel around the top shelf of her closet. He was going to miss those wavy locks―

"Hey Prompto, could you help me? It's gonna fall," she said panicked, straining her arms to keep as straight as possible. Stacked things on the top shelf were leaning precariously over the edge of the shelf, threatening to topple over. He scrambled off the bed and quickly caught a book that was sliding off the top of the tower before giving everything a good shove back. Evie sunk back to her feet, wiping off the dust from her hands. "Thanks," she sighed.

"What were you looking for?" He asked, observing her closet.

"My gloves. I don't know where I put them…" she went over to a jacket that was hung over her rolly chair and fished around in the pockets.

"Are these it?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Prompto plucking off the very pair of gloves she had been searching for. "Yeah! Where were they."

He gestured to the desk. "It was sitting behind a pencil holder."

"Pfft, oh." He handed them to her and just when she pulled back he gently pulled on her wrist. He wrapped his arms around her waist and had his face buried in the crook of her neck. "Prompto―?"

"I feel bad. I'm leaving for almost a month…" he murmured. His breath tickled her ear making goosebumps prickle her skin.

She returned the hug, her chin resting over his shoulder. "It's no big deal. I still have Lyr."

"But still. We could've gone on those cheesy holiday dates."

Evie smiled. "Noct's your friend first. Not to mention he's gonna get hitched this summer. Spend all the time with him if you need to. Besides, there's always next year."

He blinked and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Yeah...next year."

A pregnant pause.

"Evie?"

They pulled away but his arms were still around her. He looked nervous, thinking hard on something. "What is it?" She prompted.

"Well―since we won't see each other for a while…"

"Yeah?" Her heart fluttered.

He cleared his throat and glanced around as if to find something to encourage him. "Is it okay if...y'know, I kiss you?"

What was it that Prompto did to make her blush like an idiot? It was one of the world's secrets and the Astrals were probably dead set on never revealing it to her. Slowly bringing her hands up so that they hooked around his neck, she finally looked up at his bright blue eyes, nodding.

She had closed her eyes the moment she saw him leaning in, and she was waiting for his lips on hers but instead she was surprised to feel them on her forehead. The spot burned from where he kissed and when he pulled away he wore a shy smile. She couldn't help but let out a small giggle. It was like they were an awkward middle school couple that hung out by the lockers staring lovingly at each other―the same couples she would roll her eyes at when she was that young.

In that moment, they stood in comfortable silence. Prompto tilted his head so that their foreheads were resting against each other while their eyes were trained on each other's lips. Prompto wasn't that much taller than her, but she still stood on her toes to fill in the gap. The kiss lingered, closed mouth, but none of them seemed to mind it.

The first thing Evie thought was that his lips seemed softer than what she anticipated. With the chilly wind always batting at their faces and the adventures in the sun Prompto always went on, she somewhat expected them to be...firmer, somewhat worn from the weather.

The second thing was that she was glad he didn't just go in for the kill like previous encounters―not that she expected him to do just that considering this was Prompto, but they were still mending from misunderstandings and assumptions and they still had time before they could start pushing at barriers. They've successfully taken this one down however.

It was like there was a collective sigh of relief when they finally pulled apart, looking away from each other with a similar shy and stupid smile.

"Was that your first kiss?" She asked, curious.

He shook his head, biting his lip. "I've had plenty of kisses before." He said, feeling a little nervous.

She smirked. "From your mom too, like the hand holding?"

"N-no!" He defended. "I kissed other people who _weren't_ my mom thank you very much."

Evie let out a bark of laughter when she saw his face grow ten shades redder. She didn't regret laughing even when Prompto started poking and tickling her sides out of revenge. She screeched and laughed as the tickling continued and try as she might to get away, he managed to pin her against his body with her back against his chest from all of the squirming. His arm was firmly locked around her waist and she was surprised she wasn't strong enough to break free, but then again he was tickling her brains out so her strength was zip next to his.

She squealed as she laughed. "Please! No more!"

"No quarter!" He announced in an accent similar to Ignis'. "First I'm gonna dump out all of your stuff from your bag so you'll have to start all over―"

"No," she pleaded through giggles, "please! I'll do anything."

"Oh really?" He didn't drop the accent, which was sounding more and more like you would hear from an over-the-top villain in a movie. "You would do anything?"

Thank heavens he stopped tickling so she could collect herself. "Yes," she heaved and twisted her head so she was looking up at him. Her messy hair and rosy cheeks made her completely adorable as the laughs lingered on her face.

He leaned forward and kissed her again. His lips were pressed firmly against hers, but it wasn't that much different. She made a startled squeaking noise, but relaxed against him. She could smell the product he used for his hair and she was honestly going to miss that while he was gone. Despite the previous tickle attack, the kiss was rather enjoyable.

Prompto released his captive when they pulled apart and while Evie appeared to be winded and surprised, Prompto wore this proud smile like he just won his 100th chocobo race in a row.

Evie realized she still had the gloves in her hands and she quickly went to her purse to shove them inside. "You dork." She huffed.

"You knew what you signed up for when you said you'd date me." His proud smirk never faltered.

* * *

Prompto left in a hurry when he realized he overstayed and was now running late for his departure. Oh boy, Ignis was going to nag his ear off for the first thirty minutes and the blonde knew it. Evie stayed behind at her dorm to wait for Lyra to finish her exam much to Prompto's dismay. And after a few more kisses and hugs, Prompto got convinced to leave.

When he was walking to the rendezvous point, he was wearing this goofy smile while his head was up in the clouds. He would've merrily skipped all the way to the Regalia if it weren't for the ice patches littering the pathways.

He was greeted with two disgruntled looking men, while Noctis looked exhausted as usual and was on the verge of taking a nap by the time Prompto threw his stuff in the trunk. He got into the car via the passenger side and the door slam did little to stir the prince from his almost-nap.

"Took you long enough," the bodyguard huffed from behind.

"For the millionth time I'm _sorry_."

"Considering traffic, hopefully we can make it out of the city within a reasonable time," Ignis offered even though he was equally irritated that his precise plotting was thrown off by a good fifteen minutes.

They pulled out onto the road when Noct finally nodded off. The car was warm with the heater running and all of the warm bodies inside, making it optimal napping conditions. "Lemme guess, judging by your abnormally huge smile I'm gonna say you were with Evie." Gladio inquired.

Ignis cast an inquisitive glance at Prompto before focusing on the road.

 _Six not again!_ "Yeah I was." He said, looking out the window.

The Shield didn't say anything, but Prompto saw that all-knowing smirk in the side-view mirror. Prompto went to his phone and dug out his earbuds to listen to some music. He lifted his feet in an attempt to put them on the dash but Ignis knew his plan from the start. " _Don't_ even think about it, Prompto." The advisor warned with a biting tone. There was plenty of room in the Regalia, but he just wanted to dance on Ignis' nerves as usual.

"I was gonna take my shoes off!"

"That would be even worse. I rather not have that odor infused with the Regalia's interior." He said primly.

Deciding to give the poor man a break, Prompto played his music and slumped into the seat to get comfortable. He closed his eyes with a smile that would never leave his freckled face.

* * *

Lyra had finally came back to the dorm by the time Evie zipped up her small bag and put on her jacket and purse. Lyra was wrapped up in a warm looking coat with a scarf that covered the bottom half of her face. "Hark! The freedom bells are ringing!" She announced and grabbed her bag that was waiting for her. "Let's go girl!"

Evie had mentioned her mom's idea of letting Lyra spend the night and her friend was more than quick to jump at a yes. "How was the test?"

"Gods awful. He made us sit there for the entire _two_ hours, even when I finished the test in thirty minutes." They both left the room and made their way to the elevator along with a few more students that slowly started to filter out of their rooms. "Did you say bye to Prompto?"

"He actually swung by earlier," she pressed the first floor button when she walked inside the lift. "And he ended up late to leave."

"Aww," she laughed and the doors dinged closed. "I'm sure he'll miss you."

Evie breathed airily. "I'm gonna miss him too."

They left the dorms and were walking to the main gates once more along with a small group of students with bags over their shoulders. The majority of the campus' students lived nearby, but since Insomnia was so huge, some students had to commute by bus, train, or car. Good thing Evie's mom's place was a few blocks away.

It wasn't an upscale apartment like the majority of the ones that populated Insomnia, but it was enough for Davina to live in comfortably. Even though she was living by herself ever since Evie went off to college, she had been renting out a three bedroom at a surprisingly reasonable price (but then again she did work for the government as a teacher so it could explain a few things).

Evie didn't have time to knock twice before the door swung open to reveal a giddy, short, redhead woman. "Hello!" She sang and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "I was just about to make dinner―hey Lyra!" Davina stood a few inches shorter than Evie, and had the same wavy hair as her daughter, though it was kept long. Wrinkles had set around her forehead and around the eyes, but Davina insists because she keeps on smiling and age is _not_ a factor.

"Hi Second Mom," Lyra laughed and gave Davina an equally excited hug. "It's so good to see you!"

They got pleasantries out of the way and Lyra was more than happy to join in on making tonight's food, creamy lemony chicken. Davina poured out the water the chicken was thawing in while the girls grabbed the ingredients for the dish. "So what are you going to do for the rest of break, Lyra?" She asked.

"Hmm, not sure." Lyra said thoughtfully and pulled out some garlic cloves from the fridge. "I might hibernate to catch up on lost sleep―"

"Because you definitely need it." Evie snickered and was promptly elbowed.

As her best friend and mom chatted away as they progressed with the cooking, Evie whipped out her phone to find a picture sent from Prompto. She opened the image and nearly laughed. It was in the Regalia, Prompto had snapped a photo of a sleeping Noctis leaning on a passed out Gladio. The caption had a few laughing emojis with it.

 _'Designated Dad ™ and ultimate pillow'_

She took time to respond.

 _'Omg that's cute. I'm assuming the car ride's boring?'_

 _'Iggy needs his 'quiet time' for driving….aaannnd I wanna get fed tonight so we're going by his rules rn. Whatcha doin?'_

 _'Helping my mom make dinner. We're have this lemon chicken thing she always makes and it's one of my favorites'_

 _'Omg send me the recipe and maybe I can get Specs to make it! It'll be like we're eating together c;'_

 _'I don't think that's how it works but I'll ask her later :)'_

"―ah and speak of the devil, she's texting him right now probably." Lyra's voice yanked Evie out of her texting world.

"So what if I am?" She defended.

Davina put the chicken in a pan. It sizzled loudly and the aroma from the seasonings started to fill the air. "It's too bad he's gone for all of break. I wanted to meet him…" she sighed.

"Gods, you'd _love_ Prompto. He's such a dork around her. Oh!" Lyra brightened. "What did he say?"

"Hmm?" She held up her phone, "He sent me a picture of Noctis and Gladio napping. See?"

* * *

They had managed to clock in 6 hours of the trip before they made a stop. Insomnia was a monster of a city, so it took a couple hours to actually get _out_ of the city's limits. They stopped at motel located in Hammerhead when Prompto actually requested Ignis of the dish Evie was having.

"Hey, hey, Iggy, I have an idea of what we can eat for dinner."

"Oh?" The advisor quirked a brow as he searched for his kitchenware in the Regalia's trunk. Noctis had claimed the bed inside while Gladio was helping setting up for the meal prep. "If you request cake one more time then―"

Prompto laughed and then unlocked his phone. "It's even better! It's a dish Evie's mom makes and I figured you would wanna try a 'new recipeh'." He smirked as he let the words roll off his tongue in an accent mocking Ignis'. Obviously the spectacled man wasn't amused but he did motion for the blonde's phone.

He handed it to him and waited in silence as Ignis read over the ingredients. Moments later he nodded. "It seems like a rather simple dish to concoct. Luckily I have most of these ingredients on hand…"

"So you'll make it?!"

He adjusted his glasses. "I suppose."

Thankfully the only thing they needed to purchase was actual meat, and it wasn't even a purchase. Prompto and Noct took up a bounty hunt and got money in addition to getting the ingredients they needed. It didn't take much for Prompto to convince Noct out of a daily nap when he mentioned that tonight's dish was going to consist of meat, minus the last minute decision of adding spinach thanks to a certain cook.

Dinner was quickly prepared by the time the two came back from their small hunt and Prompto couldn't _wait_ to devour his meal. When he was served his portion, he took out his phone and took a seat on one of the chairs. He smiled when he saw a text from Evie. The image was her mom's dish, but it was already half eaten because she claimed she forgot to send him a picture before hand.

 _'It tastes better than it looks I swear―'_

 _'LOL :D I actually convinced Iggy to make it too!'_

He took a quick snap of it, and he didn't miss the eyerolls from his friends who were seated around, already digging in.

 _'Ignis never fails to make every dish with a five star presentation'_

 _'I bet your mom's version tastes better (dont tell that to iggy he might die a little)'_

 _'Careful, the man feeds you most of the time'_

 _':'D sad isn't it?'_

 _"Yo Prompto, are you_ gonna eat or just text your girlfriend?" Noct called out, already finished with his meal while trying to scrounge for crumbs on his plate.

"Yeah, yeah! Just gimme a second."

"It's rather tasty. My compliments to Evie's mother." Ignis nodded as he carefully cut through his dinner.

"I need more…" Noctis muttered and pushed himself off his chair for the pan.

"Yeah, get more protein otherwise you'll look like a scrawny kid until you get old." Gladio teased. Noctis rolled his eyes and proceeded to give himself a second helping.

Prompto tuned out the banter long enough to send Evie another text.

 _'The guys and I are gonna be staying at Hammerhead for a while before we go to Galdin to stock up on cash and stuff. I cant lie im preeetty talented with a gun~'_

 _'Just don't go video chatting me when you skip merrily into fights. You don't need to show off for me lol'_

 _'Now THATS an idea~'_

 _'Prompto no'_

 _'Prompto yes :3'_

* * *

 ***rubs face* I was hoping this wouldn't happen-but I ran out of my buffer. It's not that I'm tired from work, it's more like I'm trying to keep my motivation to write the chapters. And thus, here shows the tragedy of the writer. I have things plotted til chapter 25...but I really think this story is going to be longer. I may have to do one weekly update for now (I'm scared to take a long break because I feel like I'll lose my muse) Thanks for your support!**

 **-Jen**


	17. The Things We Missed

**Working nights is starting to mess with my sleep schedule as much as I hate to admit it. I've been in a motivation slump all day with this chapter and all of a sudden 2 am hits and I typed out this chapter at the speed of light-can anyone relate? Songs inspired for this chapter: "King and Lionheart" and "Santa Monica Dream"**

* * *

Chapter 17

The Things We Missed

"It's seems like we found what we were looking for," Ignis commented as the four guys rounded a large boulder in pursuit of a small group of flexitusk. They had joined another hunt for the creatures back at the diner in Hammerhead. It had been a couple days that they've been there.

"Please tell me you aren't _actually_ gonna video chat Evie in the fight, Prompto." Noctis muttered as he summoned his weapon.

The blonde had his phone in one hand and gun in the other. He blinked and gave his friend a not-so guilty look. "Maybe just a picture then!"

"I don't think she'd want you to come back in pieces." Gladio huffed.

"Hey, I took selfies of me and the monsters we brutally kill and it's no biggie!"

"And we had to waste half of the potions on your dumbass." Gladio went on ahead, into the group of flexitusk with one big sweep. Prompto mocked the bodyguard before joining into the fray. The occasional cracks from the gun echoed in the air and mixed with the sounds of clashing swords and flexitusk growls.

Prompto got good enough distance from the creatures and took a few snaps of him and the guys. "Prompto!" Noctis called out.

The two guys executed a quick link-strike, and with one quick swipe from Noctis' blade, one of the monsters let out a defeated cry and slumped to the ground with a thud. One down, two to go.

"Get your nose out of your camera and start shooting!" Gladiolus yelled amidst the chaos.

"Ey, I go at my own pace Big Guy," Prompto leapt back to avoid a head-on attack from another flexitusk, no doubt agitated about its fallen comrade. Three pops from his gun and a killing blow from Gladio quickly plucked off another creature from their list.

A flexitusk burst out from the bushes, its eyes set on Noctis. "Hey, watch it!" The blonde called out and landed a few shots in its shoulder. It howled and missed its target by a few inches, skidding on the ground and snarling at Prompto. Even with its injuries, it charged at him with full speed and Prompto dodged only to get nicked on the arm with its claws. Prompto fumbled with his footwork and lost his balance in the momentum. He landed on his back with a thud, gun pointing at the beast. Two shots fired, but it wasn't deterred in the slightest.

"Shit―" he cursed as he attempted to summon his second gun. Before the beast could charge at him, Gladio took a sweep at it to throw it off of Prompto. The blonde scrambled to his feet just as Ignis expertly landed two daggers at it, one lodged in it's eye socket, another one in it's shoulder. Gladio brought his sword down on the staggering beast's neck, ending it.

It wasn't a tough fight, but it was enough to send everyone catching their breaths. "Glad that's over," Prompto commented, stretching his arms out while checking out the long slashes that trailed across his arm.

Ignis came over to Prompto and handed him a potion. "And with this bounty's reward this will be our last hunt for a week or so, give or take curatives and ingredients we may need to purchase while we are in Galdin Quay."

Prompto cracked the potion over his arm and watched as his skin mended together, leaving cracked blood stains along his arm. The stinging sensation from his wounds disappeared without thought and all he had to do was wash off the blood and it would look good as new.

The gunslinger took out his phone and started swiping through the photos as the gang made their way back to the Regalia. He nudged Noctis with his elbow when he came across a selfie of him with Noctis in the background in mid-warp, sword aimed at the late flexitusk. "Saving this one for the scrapbook."

"Heh, not bad." The prince commented with a smirk. "Seriously though, you're gonna get yourself killed with all of these selfies."

"You don't complain when I take good shots of you."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure man. Just don't scare Evie to death with a closeup with you and those monsters."

Prompto jumped into the backseat and started texting away at his girlfriend. "I'm just glad Evie is the mature one out of the two of you. Perhaps she can knock some sense into regarding your distracted driving problem." Ignis said, adjusting the rearview mirror so his eyes locked on Prompto in the back. The blonde sunk back in his seat with a smile.

"I'm not that bad!"

"Prompto, the chances of me allowing you to get behind the wheel is to Noct rising before eleven o'clock."

The prince snorted and leaned back in his seat to get a good cushion for his head. "That and he nearly killed us when he saw that dog on the side of the road."

"Oh come _on_ , Noct! That's not fair! It was hurt!"

"Tell that to the Regalia's front bumper."

 _'EVE THE GUYS ARE BULLYING ME ; A ; can i teleport to u pls'_

* * *

Evie laced up her skates while she waited for Lyra to get back with her rentals. The two went to the mall and they somewhat regretted it when they walked through the doors and saw all three levels filled with people. Holiday decorations were hanging from the arched ceilings and the lights were reflected off the large windows and the glass atrium.

On the ground floor and in the middle of the mall was a huge skating rink with a giant tree with lights and ornaments adorning it. The only way Evie could think of how they managed to get the tree inside was bring it through the atrium's roof

Lyra finally came back and plopped down onto the bench to put on the rentals. Evie had went skating at the mall every year and went often when she had nothing else to do. A couple years ago she finally went a purchased her own pair of skates figuring that she spent enough money on beat up rentals that made her feet uncomfortable.

"Dude it's so crowded at the rental booth," her friend commented as she closed the latches on her skates. "I would get my own buuut nah."

The girls got up from their bench and made the small trek to the rink's gate while trying to maneuver through throngs of people and small children. A kid zoomed passed Evie just as she stepped on the ice and nearly collided into Lyra, the kid muttering an apology before scampering away.

It took a while for Evie to get used to gliding on the ice, but now it felt like second nature to her as she took effortless strides on the scratched up ice. Lyra fumbled with her balance and skated after her friend in the clunky rentals.

Evie rounded the tree and sighed. She wished the rink was larger, or better yet, she was on a frozen lake...Prompto for sure would be up for that right?

Lyra flung an arm over her friend, making her jump. "Aw man, I thought you'd fall!" She laughed and took a selfie of them. Evie rolled her eyes and landed a playful smack on her arm.

"At this point I know how to skate backwards and do little hops―I'm no pro but at least I can skate _normally_."

"Hey! It's these rentals! They're so huge and clunky!"

"Then get your own."

"Do you _know_ how much skates are?!"

"Uh, yeah," she nodded, deadpanning. "I bought them. And you have a job too."

"Ehhh," Lyra stuck her tongue out at her.

"Well there's always the wall where all the little kids are at," she said, gesturing to one of the walls with a grab rail. A few kids were slipping and sliding along the wall with their parents at their side.

"Rude!" Lyra exclaimed, but Evie dismissed it and took off, leaving her friend in the ice shavings.

Eventually Evie took a small break and lingered at one of the walls. She absentmindedly brushed her toepick along the ice as she took out her phone. It buzzed a couple of times beforehand. She wondered what her ball of sunshine was up to this time―

 _'One more hunt left~'_

Attached was a picture of a bounty hunt poster of a flexitusk and she groaned. She scrolled through the next few pictures and she was ready to smack some sense into him when she saw a picture of a beast _very_ close up―however the shot Prompto took of Noct taking down a flexitusk was very well executed. Her worrisome attitude dispersed when she read the last message that was sent to her:

 _'EVE THE GUYS ARE BULLYING ME ; A ;' can i teleport to u pls'_

She let out a laugh and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Figures.

 _'Glad to know you're still alive :p'_

Evie swiveled around and took a shot of the towering tree in the middle of the rink and then aimed the camera at her skates.

 _'Im skating at the mall with Lyr. I think I lost her…'_

Apparently Prompto was already on his phone because she saw the typing indicator.

 _'Awww I wanna go skating! D: We should gooo. Are you any good?'_

 _'I can't do all of those fancy moves, but I guess I'm pretty good'_

 _'Oh thats a relief, you can teach me ^ _ ^'_

Evie smirked. Knowing him this was just another ploy to try to hold her hand all the time (not that she would complain or anything).

 _'You guys heading off to Galdin Quay?'_

 _'Yeah we just got the reward and Noct's filling up the tank rn'_

Evie pocketed her phone by the time her legs started to feel stiff. She had to move around again, and also find Lyra. Pushing herself off the wall, she skated along the ice to look for her friend and sure enough she saw Lyra standing along the wall and she wasn't alone. It was a guy, no doubt a friend from U of I since Lyra was talking animatedly.

Skidding to a stop, she tapped Lyra on the shoulder and her friend looked over. She smiled. "Hey look who I bumped into!"

In all honesty Evie had no idea who the guy was, but she put up a friendly smile and tilted her head. "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while." She said with Lyra's expectation of meeting this guy briefly in the past.

"Yeah! Last time I saw you was...last year?" The guy grinned. "It's Evie, right?"

Well damn, now she felt bad. "Yeah."

"He cheated on that one; I said your name like a million times so," Lyra shrugged.

"Man, I wanted to look cool with ever-perfect memory." He frowned.

After a few more exchanged sentences, Evie got Lyra's name from him. It was Dominic, and still she couldn't remember him. Standing tall, he had a good set of muscles―especially in his arms as Lyra casually mentioned. Evie was surprised Lyra wasn't crushing on him, or maybe she did and now the feelings left.

"So what are you doing here? Skating all by yourself?" Evie asked.

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head, "I just got done with work and the mall was just down the block so I figured why not?" He looked around and glanced up at the third floor where the food court was. "Though I might take off and get some dinner soon."

"Oh, you know what? We can all grab food. I'm actually starting to get hungry―we also need to catch up!" Lyra glanced at her friend for a silent approval.

Evie blinked and then nodded. "Sure, why not?"

Dominic beamed at Evie. "Sounds good."

* * *

After a few more minutes of skating around the rink, they turned in their skates for shoes. Evie's ankles rejoiced as she walked through the mall in her comfy boots, her skates were stowed away in a small backpack.

The food court was full and bustling with people. Small children were screaming and squealing from the skating rink down below floated onto the 3rd floor and it felt like Evie couldn't hear her own thoughts.

The three split up and got their food, meeting at a table Dominic managed to snag before another group of people could glance at it. Evie got to their table and wiped off some crumbs off of it with a napkin before sitting down. "So what've you been up to?" He asked.

"Um," she laughed with a scoff, "trying to get through this last year. I swear, I'm super boring."

"Nah, I don't believe it." He said, uncapping his bowl of salad. He poured some dressing over it and closed up the bowl again, giving it a good shake. "What was your major again?"

"Journalism―er, communication. Yours?"

"Engineer. Call me a math nerd, I don't mind." he said and took off the lid of his salad again and stabbed at the leafy greens.

"I know bigger nerds."

Lyra finally arrived and slumped down next to Evie with her bag of food. " _Gods_ , there was this lady and she _wouldn't make up her mind_. She ordered like ten things and her annoying kids kept on changing their minds! I wanted to punt the little suckers away…" she grumbled and took out a huge carton of fries and angrily munched on them.

"Can I have a fry?" Dominic asked.

Lyra wordlessly handed a fry to him and kept on talking. "So are you going anywhere for break?"

"Nah." He said. "I'm saving up for summer. What about you, Evie?"

Evie was sipping at her drink, surprised that he was asking. "I'm staying in Insomnia for winter...I might do something in the summer with Prompto…"

"Prompto?"

"Oh! Prompto―he's my boyfriend." She couldn't help but feel giddy when she put those two words in a sentence.

"Ahh," he nodded.

"He's off in Galdin Quay with the prince and whatnot." Lyra commented offhandedly.

He widened his eyes. "Wait―is Prompto the blonde guy that's the prince's best friend?" Evie nodded. "That's _awesome_! You're part of the royal clique then!"

"Not really," she dismissed the idea and broke off a piece of bread from her tray. "I don't expect to be invited to royal galas any time soon."

"But wouldn't that be awesome?" He smiled.

"Fancy dresses and parties―parties in general, actually, aren't my forte." She said and started to stir her soup around before taking a sip.

"My dear, if you ever get an invitation _please_ let me know." Lyra said and finally unwrapped her burger.

"No way. You're gonna embarrass me and probably will try to hit on Gladio. His ego's already sky-high."

Dominic laughed, earning a glare from the girl. "It's true. That's how we became friends actually―out of nowhere you just started to flirt with me and I had no idea who you were."

Lyra flicked her straw wrapper at him. "I was _not_. People mistake friendliness as flirting and frankly, that's not the case. Besides, you aren't my type." She said primly.

"Ouch," he snickered. "Yeah, you're too crazy for me too, so the feeling's mutual." His gaze flickered to Evie's before he returned to his meal.

* * *

The sun was setting by the time the Regalia coasted down the hill en route to Galdin Quay. Prompto scrambled to grab his camera to take shots at the million dollar view. "Noct! Noooct! Wake up dude! We're here!"

Noctis mumbled incoherently and curled up further in himself, slapping Prompto's hand away.

"Don't wake up Sleeping Beauty," Gladio teased, looking out at the sunset with his arm resting on the car door.

"Perhaps if he's too tired he should retire for the evening and fish tomorrow…" Ignis offered as he approached a carport.

"I'm not too tired to fish," the prince said groggily. He straightened himself out with an appreciative sigh. "There's cooler fish to catch at night."

Ignis parked the car and Prompto leapt out, stretching out his legs that were starting to cramp up. He did a quick check through his phone and saw that Evie hadn't texted him since the afternoon. Guess she was busy.

"Oohh, I wanna get some shots out on the fishing deck. C'mon Noct!"

"Shall I book a room then?" Ignis inquired, putting the keys in his pocket.

Gladio didn't look 100% impressed with the offer, but his tone was neutral. "Preferably under the stars. It's nice to fall asleep to the waves."

"But comfortable beds are calling my name!" Prompto protested.

"Tomorrow we're camping out then."

"I guess," the blonde said, not in the mood for arguing. Ignis nodded and went off to trek the long bridge to the hotel. Gladiolus followed after him leaving the two younger boys to themselves.

"Let's go fishing!" Prompto exclaimed and skipped on to the fishing deck with Noctis not too far behind.

They got to the fishing deck and Prompto ditched his shoes, hating the feeling of sand seeping into his boots. He sat at the ledge, watching as Noctis cast out his line. It was silent, except for the occasional sound of the camera shutter going off. Prompto looked at the preview screen in thought. Should he send some pictures to Evie or wait for her to see the real deal when she would come down with him?

"Got something!" Noct exclaimed, immediately reeling in the line.

"Aw man, I can't see! The sun's glare is hurting my eyes," the blonde squinted, trying to find the nearly invisible string that was darting side-to-side in the water.

"Think we can eat this one?"

Noctis grunted as he continued to fight with the fish. "Maybe. It's not small that's for sure." The fish jumped out of the water as if to tease them.

"There it is!"

"I got this." Within three second the line snapped on him and there went the fish. "Dammit," he muttered under his breath.

"Ahh, so close!" He hissed through his teeth in sympathy. "Got another lure?"

"Definitely."

* * *

Noctis successfully managed to land four fish before calling it a night. The moon hung high and the lights along the docks were on. Fatigue was finally catching up on Prompto and he collapsed on the bed when they arrived in the room. Ignis was seated at an armchair with the news on, while Gladio sat across from him, reading a book.

The guys didn't go to sleep until the next hour, and Noctis found his way to the dreamland with no problem. Gladio wasn't that far behind while Prompto and Ignis were still up. The blonde kept his phone's brightness at the lowest setting as he was going through the photos he took on his phone. The majority of his photos were on his camera, acting as possible candidates for his portfolio when he got back to Insomnia.

 _'Do you know how long it's been since ive slept on an actual BED?! DO YOU'_

She didn't respond immediately, so he put his phone down. The vibration was loud against the mattress and cursed as he put it on silent knowing that Ignis was a light sleeper.

 _'Uhh a few days?'_

 _'Whatcha up to?'_

 _'At the movies with Lyra. We spent the entire damn day at the mall and I can't believe it―'_

Attached to her message was an image. He tapped it and it opened up to reveal Evie with Lyra and...someone he didn't recognize. From what he gathered from previous conversations with Evie, he figured it was one of Lyra's friends.

 _'What did you see?'_

 _'A superhero movie...im exhausted'_

 _'Saaaaaame'_

 _'Well at least you're in a bed. We gotta walk back to my place :|'_

 _'Stay safe ^ _ ^ b'_

 _'Lol we will. If anything happens, Dom volunteers to be our human meat shield'_

Prompto arched a brow as his stomach clenched slightly. He rolled on his stomach and fished for his charging cable before sending her a text.

 _':)'_

 _'Well I'll let you sleep. It's 1 am holy shit'_

 _'Ive been up longer dearie~'_

 _'Omg i know you have, but please sleep'_

 _'Fine fine'_

He set his phone down and put his head on the pillow, gazing out at the stars through the window. His body was tired, but his mind was going a mile a minute. Devising a list in his head, he declared that he would have to go ice skating with her along with taking her to Galdin Quay. She looked like she was having fun in that picture. Who knows what other shenanigans Lyra was bringing her in―maybe they're were gonna go on an impromptu night on the town. The only thing good he could think of was at least he had a month to think about other things he could do with her.

He rolled onto his stomach and folded his arms behind his head. There was a sour taste in his mouth and he couldn't help but wonder: is this was fear of missing out felt like?

* * *

 **Summer break doesn't exist for me now that I'm working. Sigh. Adulthood is a mysterious thing. I'll see you guys next week! Thanks for your reviews! You guys are so sweet.**

 **-Jen**


	18. Little Tiffs

**I typed this up at 4 am while I was at work. There's a lot of downtime sooooo why not?**

* * *

Chapter 18

Little Tiffs

Break went by fast despite everything. Lyra was there for Evie most of the time until the holidays started to hit―that's when things got _busy_. She and her mother went gift shopping during the most inconvenient times and almost walked out every time with little to no things. The holiday parties were hectic and numerous. There were several parties thrown by Davina's friends, Evie's, and then there was the Redlin family party, which consisted of good food, drinks, laughter, and horrible White Elephant gifts. Evie had her hands full she nearly forgot to sign up for the next semester's classes, but she managed to get it done after getting a frantic text from Lyra saying she forgot to sign up for classes. Thank Gods Prompto had his stuff together when she texted him, asking him the same thing.

Before she knew it, Evie was in her dorm again and unpacking her things (bringing a few extra things from home). Tossing her scarf over the nearby chair, she heard a very loud and frantic rap on the door. "Did you forget your key, Lyr?" Evie called out as she made her way to the door. She opened it and was greeted, not by Lyra, but Prompto in a crushing hug. She yelped and nearly toppled over thanks to the momentum, but the blonde made sure that they wouldn't come towering down.

"Eve! I _missed_ you!" He exclaimed and rocked from side-to-side while they were still hugging. The door closed by the time Prompto released her. She looked up at him, red faced and winded. The number of selfies never did his face any justice, like how really bright his eyes were and how his freckles dotted his face like constellations. Evie smiled and ran her fingers through his blonde tuft of hair, careful not to mess up the style.

"I missed you too." It occurred to her that he was wearing a backpack and he was notably out of breath. "Did you... _run_ here?"

"Yep!" He grinned. "The elevators were taking too long." His hands drifted to her waist, tugging her close once again. His eyes implored hers before looking at her lips. Evie traced her hands up to cup his face.

Her eyes fluttered closed when they kissed. It had been a month since they were in the same breathing space, and now here they were catching up on missed things. The kiss wasn't chaste and Evie brought herself to move her lips against his. Prompto hummed in content and leaned further in, making her hook her hands around his neck so she wouldn't fall. Her fingers idly played with his blonde hair at the nape of his neck when they pulled apart.

Both of them were breathless, staring at each other's lips.

"Another…?" Prompto breathed.

Evie nodded and stood on her toes, closing the gap once again. She pressed her lips against his with renewed interest. _Holy hell, I really missed him._ Prompto's hands went up her waist to the back of her head, holding it gently but firmly. Her body was buzzing as she continued to press open mouth kisses against him.

The urge to keep on kissing him was practically dragging her across the floor, but knowing that Lyra could waltz in at any second was enough incentive to make her scrounge up the rest of her energy to pull away.

Prompto bit his lip with a little smile, red face matching hers. "I missed that. I also missed that." He declared.

She pressed a soft kiss on his cheek before finally stepping back from him. She motioned him further inside as she went to putting her suitcase in the closet. "So how was the trip?"

"Oh _man_!" He exclaimed, back to his usual chirpy self. He flopped on her bed and set his bag in front of it. He rummaged inside and pulled out his cherished camera. "It was great! I got a few good shots of Galdin Quay. The road goes down on a slope when you get to the beach and it's _perfect_ to go see the sunset." He beckoned her to sit by him and she did so, moving the bag to the far end of the bed.

Looking at the preview screen, she tilted her head as he went through the plethora of photos he had of that very sunset. She snickered at a few of the gag photos he took of the guys―especially the one with Gladiolus sleeping with a book over his face.

They sat on the bed, chattering with excitement as they shared their stories over break. Prompto nearly died of laughter when Evie showed him a video of a prank gift that was being passed around in a circle. The present was wrapped with so many damned layers, and the item that was inside was just a piece of gum.

Evie wasn't laughing when Prompto meandered his way into the battle section of his camera. Most of them had the guys as his subjects, but every now and then Prompto's happy face would be plastered on the lower corner of the photo with some sort of beast over his shoulder.

Prompto scooted over so that he was slightly sitting behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection while resting his chin on her shoulder. "It would've been nice if you were there. Noct scored a _huge_ fish a few weeks ago!" He said, gesturing to a random photo of Noct at the fishing dock.

"Nah, I'd slow you guys down."

Prompto frowned but she didn't see it. "No you wouldn't." He affirmed. "Most of the days we just spent chilling. We camped out for so many nights though―the ground's too hard!" He whined.

"Isn't there a hotel at Galdin?"

"There iiiis," he said, "but Gladio likes to camp out and if we stay in a hotel for too long he gets moody."

Evie let out an unladylike snort. " _Moody_? Worse than Noct?"

"He just starts complaining about how you can see the stars better and besides―camping is _free_." He sighed and pouted. "But I like fluffy beds… and he's not worse than Noct, trust me."

The door swung open, and both of them picked their heads up to find Lyra walking in with a phone up to her ear with a small bag looped over her arm. She paused when she saw Prompto and then went to talk as if it was a normal occurrence. "Yeah I just walked inside―okay, I'll talk to you later then. I'll send you some pictures. Tell your grandma I said hi!" Lyra bid the caller goodbye and tucked her phone into her coat pocket. "Well, well, getting all cozy aren't we?" She purred.

"Hi, Lyr." Evie drawled. Prompto waved at her, not moving from his spot.

"Hey, long time no see! How was break?"

Lyra kicked off her snow dusted boots and peeled off her winter coat. "It was alright. You totally missed out on some ice skating."

"Yeah, that's what I've been hearing," Prompto admitted. He gave Evie a squeeze. "We need to do that some time." The redhead nodded.

"So who was that on the phone?" Evie inquired.

"Family friend―she lives in Altissia."

"Altissia?" Prompto asked and immediately brightened. "Oh yeah! So there's this festival that Altissia throws every year: the Moogle Chocobo Carnival, and it's so much fun!"

"I've been there a couple times. They give out these really cute hats," Lyra said as she was going through her bag.

 _A chocobo carnival...dear Astrals that must be the perfect thing for Prompto._ "When does it happen?" Evie asked.

"Later in the year. I need to take you there! They have these chocobo chicks running around and it's so _cute_!"

The idea of Prompto losing his mind over the festival was already amusing as it is. She wondered if the boy ever considered just snatching all of the chocobo chicks for himself―or maybe he already did but was convinced by his friends to put the small creatures back. Evie chuckled, making Prompto glance at her.

"Hmm? What's so funny?"

She shook her head.

* * *

The next day was the beginning of Evie's last semester, and she was ready to put her mind to cruise (that is until something unexpected happen, and by unexpected she meant Prompto).

Evie's schedule consisted of two classes for her major while electives filled up the rest of the slots. She was sitting in environmental science while the professor was going over the syllabus, unbeknownst to him he managed to knock half of the class out with his monotone of a voice. Evie hid a yawn just as the door swung open, letting a flood of light rush into the dim room. A few students straightened up from their naps to turn and find a guy silently rushing into the room.

 _Prompto?_ Her heart fluttered with a mix of interest and curiosity. It was like he heard her because he glanced over in her direction. A huge grin curled his previously panicked face and he quickly made his way over to an empty chair across from Evie. The professor didn't stop his spiel as if nothing happened. Prompto set his bag on the large lab table and wheeled himself to her side so he could read the syllabus along with her (even though no one was really paying attention to it).

"What are you doing here?" She whispered.

Their shoulders brushed against each other. "I'll tell you later," he said, poking her in the side making her jump in her seat.

Evie playfully smacked his arm. "You better behave! Or we might get split up like elementary kids."

The blonde merely winked at her and looked on ahead unfazed. A few minutes later Prompto reached over the table to grab his bag. Sliding out a notebook, he flipped it open and pulled out the pen that was nestled in the spiral. He quickly scribbled something down and nudged Evie.

She took her eyes off the screen to see a small message scratched down on the paper:

 _'My class got canceled last minute yesterday so I just picked this one instead'_

Okay, now they were _really_ in elementary again.

 _'Yeah I could've sworn you had a different class at this time. Astrals I'm never gonna get any work done because of you'_

Prompto pulled a face at the message.

 _'I'm not gonna distract you! Promise :o'_

 _'Uh huh. See you're distracting me already'_

 _'Gosh Eve pay attention ;p jk jk'_

* * *

Evie sighed at the blank document on her computer. The cursor was blinking at her teasingly, rubbing in the fact that it had stayed in the same spot since she opened a new document on her laptop. Weeks later into the semester her workload for the school's paper had increased. It seemed like the semester before summer was starting to affect everyone as she had to send back articles to her team members to revision. She was also given a section to type up for the school's weekly newsletter online.

She realized that her mindset of switching in cruise control wasn't going to help her get through this semester, and the workload from her classes were slowly starting to pile up and now online quizzes and practice exams were looming over her shoulder like Ignis was to Noctis.

Prompto seemed to be doing fine, except for the fact that as his best friend's wedding was approaching and he kept on being called over to the Citadel to go over details for the wedding and the coronation, which was being held on separate dates.

It didn't occur to her how this semester was affecting her until she got a text from Prompto saying that they had to get lunch another time for the 3rd time this week to accompany Noctis to the Citadel. Evie's patience was starting to fray like an untied braid, but she did her best to keep her head. The ridiculous assignments from her environmental science class weren't helping however.

It had been weeks to have to quality time with Prompto as they had to deal with conflicting schedules and last minute occurrences, and Evie was initially going to spend the time either gaming with Prompto or getting food but the sudden assignment for the newsletter put up a blockade for those plans as it's nearby due date continued to threaten her.

And now here she was, sitting on the couch next to Prompto with her laptop cracked open and on her lap. The tv was on at a low volume but no one was paying attention to it. Prompto was fiddling around with his camera, putting in a new SD card. Turning the camera on, he twisted in his seat so that Evie was seen through the lense and the camera shutter went off.

Evie snapped out of her frustrated trance with a crazed look. "No Prom," she groaned, "I don't look good."

He looked at the screen and shrugged. "Relax Eve, you look cute."

She rolled her eyes. "There's no need to lie, mister." She returned back to her document. She had all the information she needed to put down. All that was left was to type out 3 small columns and the words refused to flow for her. Evie reeled her head back with a sigh when the sound of the shutter went off.

"Prompto I swear if you took more pictures of me―"

"I'm not!" He exclaimed, showing her a snapshot of some of the evening sun's rays poking through the blinds. "I'm kinda in a slump right now so I take pictures of random things."

"Guess we're in the same boat," she muttered.

"You've been staring at that document for an hour now. Maybe you should take a break?"

"I _can't_! It's due tomorrow." The hints of irritability were starting to bleed into her words.

"Just put it down for a bit. Maybe your brain is just fried," he offered, noting the tone in her voice. Reluctantly she closed the laptop and set it aside. What a shitty week. Prompto put his arm up and motioned her to come closer. With a gentle voice he said, "C'mere."

Evie scooted over until her head was resting in the crook of his neck. A comforting arm draped over her side and for a moment she cleared her head, taking in Prompto's familiar scent. A smile crept up when he pressed his lips on her forehead.

"I would say we should go ice skating, but you have that article to do…" he started off. His voice reverberated in her ear, making it tickle.

"It doesn't help when we're _both_ busy. You've been going to the Citadel a lot lately."

"Sorry about that, Eve." He frowned.

She shook her head. "It's fine."

Moments later Prompto picked up his camera again and aimed it at the both of them. "Say cheese!"

"No Prompto!" She protested. "I'm not in the mood." Prompto slowly put the camera down.

"It's not like I'm gonna put these on display…"

"Still. Can you just, I don't know, delete those?"

"Eve…"

"I'm serious."

Evie flinched when she heard Prompto's phone ring. He reached over to grab his phone off the coffee table. "Ah, it's Noct."

She exhaled and removed herself from him. "You know what? I should just go. I can work on my stuff and you can talk with Noctis about wedding details and stuff. He needs you more than I do." Prompto reached out to grab her hand but she moved it out of the way. "It's no big deal," she mustered all of the emotion she had left in her to give him a gentle smile, "I'll text you later."

Prompto's phone kept on ringing in his hand, forgotten. His shoulder sagged when he saw her gather her things. "C'mon let's just hang out a _liiiiittle_ longer!"

"You know very well that you distract me, so getting this article done will be nearly impossible." Evie put on her coat and bag, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. "You don't need to walk me back."

Prompto still had his mouth set in a frown, but nevertheless he watched her leave his apartment, shutting the door behind her.

Out in the hall, Evie rubbed her temples. She felt utterly _drained_ , but she wasn't in the mood for Lyra's upbeat attitude. Taking out her phone as she went down the stairs, she figured she could shoot her mom a quick text. Maybe a quick getaway to her mom's place was what she needed.

* * *

Staying at home for the weekend turned out to be the best idea Evie had in weeks. The moment she stepped through the door she was greeted with her mom's cooking, something that Ignis could never beat. The two chatted about their week, Davina also giving Evie some advice on how to handle all of this sudden stress that decided to jump her.

Around nine Evie set herself up at the dining table with the one light on. Davina brewed her a fresh cup of tea and Evie snagged the fleece blanket from the couch. It would've been perfect sleeping conditions if she wasn't sitting upright in a chair. She had finished the article and a few practice quizzes for class after a few hours of sitting.

She glanced at her phone. _I bet Prompto's still up_. Today's earlier scene played out on her head a few times, and she wished she didn't vent out all of her frustration out on him. She hated seeing him frown like that. Evie rubbed her face and groaned. "Man…" After a few moments of thinking, she figured that she could send him a text.

 _'I'm at my mom's place for the weekend. Sorry I blew up on you'_

Prompto's reply was instant.

 _'No biggie. You finish your article?'_

 _'Yep. Btw, enviro quizzes three and four are due tonight'_

 _'0 A 0;; REALLY?! crAP'_

 _'You have an hour Prom. Stop gaming you dork'_

 _'I wasnt gaming :p'_

 _'Omg just finish the quizzes'_

Evie hid a yawn behind her hand as she was closing out her applications. When she ended up on an open tab with her email inbox, she did a quick once over before her glazed eyes spotted something that _wasn't_ ads and weekly promotions.

It was from Insomnia's travel magazine.

 _'You have recently submitted an application for the position: journalist_

 _We would like to inform you that we have gone over your resume and we would like to request an interview with you. Below you will see further details regarding this interview. If you have any questions, please call Calista Arcanum at the number that is provided below. We are looking forward to speak with you.'_

Evie jumped in her seat, making her knee collide with the underside of the table. "Shit―" she hissed and rubbed the spot she hit. _When was this sent?_ She clicked on the email to collapse it to find out it was sent a few hours ago. _How did I not see this?!_

Her heart leapt out of her chest once she processed what she read. A job interview! This was perfect! Evie put her hands together and took in a calming breath. There was no use in waking up her mom and the rest of the surrounding neighbors with her excited squealing.

* * *

 **I couldn't upload this chapter until I got home (after I slept all day) because my work's wifi blocked Fanfic. Oh well~**

 **-Jen**


	19. There's Someone That Loves You

_**'**_ _ **You have someone that loves you, I'm waiting**_

 _ **I'm impatient, I feel stupid**_

 _ **When you have someone that loves you'**_ **\- From the song "Someone That Loves You"**

 **...hey guys! So I disappeared for a bit to just recharge and now it's 2 am while I'm updating this story as we speak. So just a heads up...we start meandering into somewhat 'adult' territory. Just a heads up! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter after I disappeared for weeks on end.**

* * *

Chapter 19

There's Someone That Loves You

Evie got little sleep later that night, as her mind was racing in a million directions of this future interview. She made a mental list of what she needed to do, what to bring, and what things in her schedule she would have to move around.

The next day she had breakfast with her mom, who had prepared bacon, hashbrowns, and eggs. Evie sat at the table, chewing on a strip of bacon as she told her mom about the exciting news to which her mom took very well. "How exciting! Did you call them yet?"

"No, I will when I'm done eating."

They spent the rest of breakfast chatting and shortly after Evie sent Lyra a text about the interview. After sending the message she glanced at Prompto's name and mulled over her thoughts. Would he even respond? Putting her bitterness aside she rolled her eyes and just sent it anyway.

The day was as mundane as is could be: she helped with the dishes and cleaned up the apartment with her mom. Lunch rolled around and she was bombarded with texts from an excited Lyra to which she responded to and then finally emailed back Calista after discovering the office was closed during the weekends.

Saturday transitioned messily into Sunday as she had to babysit her sister's sick kid again. After sleeping over at Brielle's she was woken up with a toddler struggling to climb up onto her bed who ended up grabbing at her hair after he realized his legs were too stubby to get him over the edge.

Doing homework was set on the back burners as she had to entertain her ill nephew while trying not to get sneezed or coughed on. When naptime rolled around she had to resort to holding Lucas in her arms while she sat on the couch because he was _insistent_ on staying attached even though he was knocked out.

At least for those few hours she had a peace of mind even though she had a snot-filled kid drooling on her shirt.

* * *

Evie and Prompto walked out of environmental science together after working on a lab for an hour and forty minutes, brains fried. Prompto had his eyes glued at his phone the entire class and so Evie just went on ahead and finished her paper long before he took his eyes off to finish the third question.

"You're done already?" Prompto exclaimed. An impish grin splayed on his lips as his fingers danced over to her paper. "Can I see?" He inquired.

"Nope." She said primly and pulled her paper back and filed it away in her binder. "We could've done it together but I didn't wanna wait."

His phone screen lit up, making her cringe when he wasn't looking. "Sorry," he said distractedly and picked up the device for the umpteenth time. "The wedding's in a few months―"

"And you're busy, don't worry it's fine." She dismissed it, but even with her gentle tone Prompto looked uncertain.

"Sorry I haven't responded to that one text...I saw it but I just...forgot." He said lamely.

And so they were walking out of class together, wordless.

"Soooo...did you wanna get some food?" Prompto asked.

"I'm not too hungry, besides I know you have stuff to do so I don't wanna keep you long."

"Eh, are you sure? We can split something."

They got to the main hallway. "If you want to eat go on ahead. I have articles to look over and I have to call Calista."

"Calista?"

"She works for Travel Insomnia. They want an interview with me."

"Eve that's great! I didn't know that." He grinned and slung and arm around her to bring her closer as they walked.

 _Because you actually didn't read the text I sent you._ "Yep."

"When's the interview?"

It felt like she was a broken record. "Beats me. That's why I need to call."

"C'mon let's get something," he said, already leading her towards the cafeteria. Before Evie could protest, Prompto's phone buzzed. He took out his phone and immediately started typing.

Her dwindling patience finally snapped and she untangled herself from him. "I'll see you." She said and made a beeline to the library, leaving a texting Prompto behind in her wake.

She couldn't wait for the wedding to be over. She missed having decent conversations with Prompto.

Pushing the door open and heaved in a sigh. She was always a relaxed kind of person. Someone who would always go with the flow, and she had never been so frustrated until now. She figured this would happen eventually: what did she expect? Her boyfriend was best pals with the soon-to-be-King, of course Prompto would be more immersed with Noctis. Evie knew Noctis was top priority, she couldn't be mad at him, but it would be nice to just have a little outing with Prompto without getting interrupted with a text or call.

Claiming a bench under a few trees, she took out her phone and dialed Calista's number she saved. The dial tone sounded twice before it was picked up:

"This is Calista Arcanum." A smooth voice sounded from the other end.

"Hi Calista, this is Evie Redlin. I'm calling because you sent me an email last Friday…"

"Oh yeah!" Her voice perked up with a little laugh that trailed after it. "Yes I have received your application a while ago, but it almost got buried underneath all of the other emails. I'm sorry for not getting back to you, but I've gone over it and I just had a couple questions regarding your resume."

"Uh-huh."

"Right, so it says that you are aiming to graduate at the end of this semester. Is this still accurate?"

"Yes, I'll be graduating with an associate's in communication in a couple months."

"Well congratulations." Evie could imagine that Calista was smiling. "So would you be interested in an interview, say… Thursday?"

Two minutes later Evie landed an interview in the afternoon for Insomnia's travel magazine. The phone call was enough to boost Evie's spirits and she couldn't stop smiling when she walked into the library.

* * *

Evie was sitting in a waiting room just outside Calista's office with a couple other possible contenders. Travel Insomnia's building was located a couple blocks from U of I and it claimed the floor six through ten of one of the skyscrapers there. The building also housed a computer business and was right next to Insomnia's news studio.

The entire seventh floor had all windows, dark wooden flooring and white ceilings. Cubicles were opened and not as boxed in as others she would see, and the furniture used were white with black accents.

The airy atmosphere on the floor paled in comparison to her stormy mind. She had to constantly wipe her palms along her black dress pants without looking like a bundle of nerves. Calista sounded so nice and cheery on the phone, but gods she hated interviews. She hated getting poked and prodded, and it wasn't like she could avoid the questions.

There was a secretary who was stationed just outside Calista's office, and her desk looked so immaculate that it could've passed off as Ignis'. She was a younger girl with bright hair and a stunning red lip.

"Ms. Redlin?" She called out.

Evie forced herself from jumping up in her seat. "Yes?"

"You can go in now," she smiled.

Evie nodded and collected her things, taking numb steps to Calista's door. She knocked before entering and saw Calista leaned back in her chair while sorting through a stack of papers. Her office still had boxes tucked in the corner and her desk was considered messy compared to the secretary's. "Hi Evie! C'mon in―sorry about the mess, they relocated my office to the other side of the floor," she laughed.

"Well at least you have a nice view," Evie offered, gesturing to the sight of the city skyline. The one wall was just one huge window.

"That's true. My older office had this _very_ small window and it was just downright _depressing_. They kicked me out and now I'm here―not that I'm complaining. Take a seat!" Calista looked around in her mid forties. Her dark hair was tied up in a ponytail and she had a bare face. She looked just as friendly as she sounded over the phone and that immediately took a few weights off of Evie's shoulders.

Evie took a seat on one of the lush leather chairs while Calista looked around her desk to pull up Evie's resume. "So graduating college…" she sighed, "just a few more months huh? How're you holding up?"

"Pretty good actually, though I can't say the same for my friends."

"Yeah, so just a heads up, we wouldn't be able to officially hire you until you have your degree. Depending on how this goes, I would love to hire you on the spot it's just with this one technicality we would have to wait until you can forward me your degree and update your resume."

"Yes, of course."

"Great! So…"

The interview had actually stuck around in her head unlike other ones where words would go in one ear and out the other. As nervous as she was, the way Calista presented herself and her cheery personality made Evie relax in her seat. Evie would like to say that the interview went well since Calista was smiling the whole way through―they even exchanged a few laughs, but she had this lingering doubt because of the other applicants that were waiting just outside the walls.

When the interview was over, Evie shook hands with Calista and was given a business card just in case if Evie had any questions. After a quick exchange of goodbyes, she left Calista's office and started to make her way to the elevators.

When she stepped inside, she took out her phone and texted Lyra how the interview went after a very passionate rant from said friend claiming that she never tells her things anymore.

Apparently there were different divisions in Travel Insomnia's magazine. There was the local one, where it was all about destinations in Insomnia, there was Lucis' division and then there was an international section. Evie hadn't realized she applied to the section that covered all of Lucis until Calista mentioned it. Not that she was opposed to it, but considering that Evie only went as far as the Wiz Chocobo Post, she would have to get cracking at actually traveling instead of staying cooped up within Insomnia's walls.

She would have to cover areas and destinations that would be assigned to her, and she would have to write articles about it for print and the web. The workload wasn't much different than what she was doing, but this was for a _corporate business_ so procrastinating until the last minute for her school's paper wouldn't be the best option.

Evie stepped off the elevator, mind whirring. She needed coffee, so she swung by the nearest coffee bar which was conveniently located in the main lobby. As she waited for her turn to order her phone buzzed.

What surprised her was that it wasn't her best friend, but it was a certain blonde who had been off of her radar for three days:

 _'Hey whatcha doin? I ran into Lyra but you werent with her :o'_

 _'I was at my interview remember?'_

 _'OH that was today?'_

Evie frowned. Of course he would forget.

 _'yeah'_

She got her coffee and went on her way back to her dorm, now hating the feel of how these dress pants moved when she walked. She was going to change and hopefully go and do something with Lyra to take her mind off of the nagging doubts poking at her.

* * *

Evie walked into an empty dorm room. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't a little disappointed. She pulled a tight smile and set her things down to change into a pair of leggings and a black U of I pullover.

Curling up on her bed, she cracked open her laptop with her coffee on her nightstand. Guess it was stay-at-home movie night. She picked an animated movie and got herself comfortable.

When Evie finally took her eyes off her screen, she was shocked to see that it was almost dinner time. Curious, she reached for her phone to see if she had any missed messages.

Just promotions for store coupons and a couple texts from her mom were on her phone and nothing else. She didn't expect a text from Prompto, but she was wondering why Lyra hadn't. Out of both of them, Lyra was the one who would always spam her with rants, pictures of cute guys, or anything else really.

"Time to get food and return to my hovel," she said to no one in particular and set her laptop to the side. She scooted off the bed and put on her shoes and grabbed her wallet and keys. Just as she opened the door she heard it unlock. She stepped back and saw a rather frazzled looking Lyra. She looked hopped up on adrenaline, cheeks pink and eyes crazed.

"Oh great! You're here!" Her friend exclaimed.

"Oh?" Evie arched a brow.

"Dude they're having free pizza at the student center c'mon!" She grinned and beckoned her with her hand.

"Free pizza?" Eve looked confused. "They would've mentioned that in this week's paper…"

"It was last minute―one of my friend's brother works at a pizza place and ordered like five boxes for a discount and frankly I don't feel like spending money so _let's go_!" She urged and hurried down the hall.

"Slow down!" They left the dorms and were heading in the direction of the student center. "Why didn't you text me? I would've met you there!"

Lyra shook her head hopelessly. "My phone died. The stupid cable's faulty I swear! I had it charging last night." She breathed. "How was the interview?"

 _Ugh_. "It went… fine I guess."

"You 'guess'." She punctuated her word with air quotes. "That doesn't sound good…"

"Well I mean Calista is really nice―but she's in charge of the articles covering all of _Lucis_ not just Insomnia, which means I'd probably have to travel a lot and well… I didn't anticipate that." She laughed in disbelief. "I wouldn't get hired until I graduate and I'm pretty sure they would want to hire someone as soon as possible, not to mention there were other applicants so, yeah I 'guess' it went well."

"Ah," Lyra gave her a comforting smile. "Well did she like you?"

"Yeah, but I think her smiling a lot is just a part of her so I can't really assume anything. We did laugh at a few things though so…" she trailed off.

"She'll remember you at least!" Lyra experimentally pressed the power button on her phone but no luck. All she hand in her hand was a dead brick. "Have you talked to Prompto recently?"

"Nope."

Lyra almost stopped in her tracks. "You say it so casually."

"Well it's not like I can help it." She defended. "He's been busy with Noctis and classes… I don't want to sound like an annoying clingy girlfriend, but I haven't been able to pin him down for a ten minute conversation without him looking at his phone to get whisked away to do something."

"Really?"

"We haven't talked much for a few days now and all I do is see him in our one class together. Even then he's distant." She paused. "Shit did I do something wrong?" Just the thought of her accidentally saying something to put him off had thrown her into another storm. She just got out of one misunderstanding with him and now this time she was getting the short end of the stick. Evie rubbed her face with her hands, as if preventing her bottled up stress from boiling over. "Lyr I'm probably the worst girlfriend ever."

Lyra stared at her, shocked. "No you're not." She affirmed.

They were getting closer to the student center.

"Well I worried him sick with all that bullshit from last semester. Guess karma's kicking me in the ass now in return. Gods, I probably said something and it offended him."

"I don't think Prompto would act like that if that were the case…" she said. "You're just stressed from the interview and your million articles you have to revise."

Starting to grow irritated, she gave a defeated sigh. "I'm just gonna grab a few slices and go back to the dorm."

"Girl you've been living at either the library or the room; you need some social interaction!" Lyra said, stubbornly going against the storm that was circling around Evie. She grabbed the redhead's arm and guided her to the doors. "You are getting pizza and you are going to talk to at least one person who isn't me and _then_ you're allowed to go back."

"Are you really taking my mom role?"

"Yes." She said, turning up her nose primly before pushing open the doors. The student center was really just one large hall with two stories. The first floor was an open layout with ping-pong tables, foosball, small basketball games and air hockey tables. There were numerous gaming consoles hooked up to flat screens and there were vending machines and microwaves galore in the back corner. On the second floor were smaller study rooms that overlooked the first floor.

But she couldn't really see anything since all the lights were off. She furrowed her brows. "Why are all the―"

"SUPRISE!" Her ears were flooded with dozens of voices and her eyes were blinded by the sudden lights. Evie jumped back, startled. It took her a moment to process the scene that was unfolding before her, and at this point she was struggling with one thing― speech.

She stared at the group of twenty or so people, most them she recognized and some were definitely Lyra's friends, but what caught her eye was a small banner that was strung from one support beam to another with pictures of... _her_ clipped on. Under the banner was Prompto, his face hiding behind the viewfinder and taking pictures. Besides him was Gladio, holding a cake that said 'Happy Birthday Evie!' with three sparklers on them.

Evie put her hands on her head, shaking it in disbelief as all of her pent up stress finally reared its ugly head. She stepped back and covered her eyes to hide her ugly cry face. A few seconds in the only comprehensible sentence she could form was: "What the hell?!" Her friends laughed and Lyra pulled her into a side hug. Evie sniffed and rubbed furiously at her eyes, no doubt making them redder and puffier.

Prompto handed his camera over to Noctis and hurried to Eve. He took her hands gently in his and he peered down at her, immediately concerned. "I didn't think you'd cry!"

"Damn you Prompto!" She exclaimed through her tears.

"You didn't think I forgot about your birthday did you?"

Birthday. Her face drew a blank. This is what her life had come to― she had been busy with other things that she lost track of time. "Oh shit it's my birthday…" she sniffed.

Prompto brought her into a hug, something she hadn't realized she terribly missed until now, and murmured in her ear. "Happy birthday, Eve."

"Dammit Prompto!" She cursed again, returning the hug. "I thought I did something wrong! I thought you were ignoring me on purpose… and with the wedding coming up I didn't wanna bother you."

"Geeze Blondie, you convinced her so well you actually made her cry." Gladio commented. "You should be an actor."

"I didn't mean for her to think _that_!" He called out and examined Evie's face. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I didn't wanna accidentally blow the secret! But hey, Ignis baked a cake! So please stop crying!" He pleaded desperately.

"Gods…" Evie sighed and dried off her face with the sleeve of her sweater. "You're really lucky you're cute."

"I'm sorry," he repeated and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Evie laughed just as he pressed a kiss to her mouth. Around them there was a mix of hooping and hollering and collective 'aww's and Evie suddenly remembered that there were other people in the room. To match her red eyes, her face grew red and she quickly buried her face in the crook of his neck.

After the sea of raw emotions calmed, Evie finally went for the cake and Prompto insisted on getting sparklers because they 'looked cooler than candles', but he was upset she couldn't make her birthday wish to which Evie insisted, as cliché as it was, that she had everything she had wished for.

Everyone had come around to say their birthday wishes and during their time of eating Ignis' cake of divinity she had learned that Prompto had been planning this for a week. He had been texting Lyra back and forth asking about things that Evie liked, her favorite flavor of cake, and so on. Prompto managed to rope Ignis into baking a cake, not that it was a real struggle for the blonde to convince the advisor. Gladio and Noctis helped with decorations while Prompto started putting all of his favorite pictures of Evie to put on the string banner, which would also explain the random photo opts with her while they were hanging out at the apartment.

Prompto wasn't completely lying, as he _was_ helping with details for Noctis' wedding and for Evie's surprised birthday party after he learned from Lyra that her birthday was coming up.

The rest of the party was fueled with sugar and more sugar. Evie had played dozens of rounds of ping-pong, foosball, and all of the other games that were available in the hall until the closing hours of the student center finally came crashing down.

Everyone had left by now except for Lyra, Dom, and the guys to help clean up. The cake Ignis made had been devoured by food deprived college students, and truth be told there _was_ pizza and a couple boxes were left with partially eaten pizzas inside.

Gladio came back down from the ladder with the banner of pictures in his arms. "What did you wanna do with these, Prompto?"

"Don't throw them out!" He exclaimed from across the room. His blonde hair poked up from behind the couch. "Just put them on the table!"

Evie stood there with an amused grin and went to the table. She recognized half of the pictures, and other of them, damn him, were all candid shots of her. This guy had mad ninja skills for her to not notice him prancing around her with a camera.

"Guys, thank you so much." She said, looking at them all. "I'm still trying to process what happened."

"Prompto managed to throw you a surprise birthday party without him blabbing away about it." Noctis offered, scraping off the remaining frosting from the base of the cake. Ignis promptly snatched it from his hands and tossed it in the respective trash bin.

"Noctis you are first royalty. At least have the decency to _not_ scrounge for crumbs. You have plenty of well rounded _meals_ back at your apartment."

"Those aren't sweets, Iggy. Let me live a little!"

Ignis adjusted his glasses and folded his arms over his chest. "I believe I did tonight, as you gladly helped yourself to four slices."

"No one beats Ignis' deserts," Gladio laughed and pulled Evie in for a side hug. "Happy birthday again, Evie. Blonde over there is gonna run himself into the ground for you."

"I really hope he doesn't. I wanna keep him."

Gladiolus grinned and let her go to put away the table. Dom and Lyra were scouring the hall for leftover plates and cups, trying to make the hall look like it wasn't just bombarded with students on a sugar high.

"Found it!" Prompto exclaimed, jutting up his arm to show his phone.

Clean up went by fast and now they were all leaving the hall. "Some party huh?" Dom asked Evie as they stepped outside into the cool night air. It was a nice break since the hall was hot and stuffy with all the people inside.

"You're telling me," she laughed. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem. It was fun." He smiled. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Prompto immediately appeared from behind and he wrapped an arm around her waist. Dom looked at the blonde and acknowledged him with a nod.

"I'll see ya." He said before waving off.

"Wanna watch a movie? I feel bad about earlier. I promise, no phone, just more snacks and diabetes."

"I'd like that."

"Good!" He laughed nervously. "Because I forgot about your present at my place… I was so worried about this party not turning out right." They started walking in the direction of the apartments. Lyra mentioned she was heading back to the dorms while Noct, Ignis, and Gladio started to make their way to leave campus.

"Are you kidding me? This was my first surprise party and I don't think anything else will top it."

"Really?!" He grinned as his eyes lit up. "Oh, that's a relief."

"Boy you really set the bar high...how can I throw you a birthday party that can top this one?"

"It's not a competition."

"You did it unknowingly. Lucky for me I have months to plan that."

* * *

Her sugar high was long gone by the time they got to his apartment. Her voice was raw from all of the laughing and yelling and her body felt sluggish, but it didn't stop her excitement when Prompto pulled out a bag with a plethora of tissue paper messily stuffed inside.

Evie smiled and took the bag to the kitchen table and took out the wadded up balls of paper. Curious, she pulled out a large book―

"A scrapbook?" She held it out under the kitchen light. It was a dark blue cover with silver accents, and already the first page had pictures of them artfully placed. "Prompto…" it looked like this scrapbook was pulled out of a computer screen where they do all of these impossibly perfect diy's. She thumbed through all the pages, completely in awe with his eye for photography―and scrapbooking. When did have time to do this? "This is amazing."

"I didn't know what to get you and Lyra wasn't any help at all when she said anything I would do would be fine." He whined. "I texted her for that sole reason in the first place!"

"It's perfect." She turned her head and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. So. Movie time."

"Right! Did you wanna grab some snacks?"

Her stomach lurched. "I've had enough sweets for now," she said, her thoughts going back to when Ignis was reprimanding Noctis for eating so many slices of cake.

They got themselves settled on the couch, her head nestled in the crook of his neck and chest, with a blanket covering both of them. They picked a feel good oldie musical and drowned out the rest of the world in their little bubble.

For a moment they just sat there, enjoying each other's presence, until Prompto pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "I'm sorry for blowing you off all the time." He murmured.

"Now knowing it was for a surprise party, I can understand." She said. "Don't throw me another surprise party again."

Prompto laughed. "Aye aye, captain." He leaned down far enough to give her a proper kiss. She squeaked but responded immediately. Prompto was about to pull away but her hands managed to crawled up to the back of his neck and she kept him firmly planted there. She leaned forward and moved her lips against his and he mimicked her movements.

They pulled away for a sliver of breath before kissing again with renewed vigor. With the remaining strength she had, she managed to haul her body up and over onto Prompto's lap. He froze for half a second before his hands found purchase on her waist. Never did Evie expect to crave so much touch from her boyfriend. Maybe it was the days of not being able to see him that now all of it had come down in one swoop.

Her fingers dug into his hair as his hands started to wander under her shirt. The spots he touched burned through her skin and she shuddered as his hands started to slide up her waist oh-so slowly.

Pulling away from the kiss, she could hear Prompto nearly whimper, but it was replaced with an appreciative sigh when she pressed kisses along his jawline down his neck. He squeezed her waist. "Damn," Prompto breathed.

A bundle of nerves started to coil at the bottom of her stomach. "You want me to stop?" She asked, voice low.

"Hell no." He smiled, eyes drunk from several but equally powerful emotions.

Evie continued, kissing his neck while listening to his breath hitching in certain spots. Eventually she went up to his ear and nibbled on the lobe. Something snapped because the tv was suddenly turned off, the blanket was torn off of them and Prompto had her legs securely wrapped around his waist. He stood up making her gasp, making her arms hook around his neck as he started to make his way to the dark bedroom. "Just because you had boyfriends before doesn't mean I'll let you have the upperhand babe," he said in a voice that didn't sound at all like Prompto.

A thrill ran through her just at the thought of possibly discovering a different side of Prompto. He closed the door with the back of his foot and dispensed her on the bed. She couldn't see anything, but as soon as she felt the bed dip, she knew where he was. He caught her lips in another quick kiss before he found her neck. Her skin prickled under the gentle caresses of his lips across her sensitive skin.

"Prompto," she sighed as her hands started searched for the hem of his shirt. She gave it a tug and immediately Prompto discarded the item. Her hands blindly explored his torso as he pressed himself closer to hers. The blonde shuddered under the unfamiliar touches and she quickly got up from under him, still kissing him while she started to abandon her own clothes. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she pushed him down so that she was straddling him. Evie leaned over and gave him another kiss. "You really want to do this?"

His hands found her hips again, now his fingers were hooking around her belt loops. "Eve, please," he said, breathless.

Evie smiled and started to undo his belt. The sound of the buckle clinking mixed with their kisses and sighs before it was discarded to the side. "Last chance."

"Eve, I swear to the Astrals if you keep on stopping I'll be tempted to just pin you down…" his voice faltered for a second. "But...I have no idea what I'm doing so my life is in your hands."

Evie laughed and gave him a quick kiss. "You have a lot to learn then…" she murmured and yanked down his pants, taking satisfaction in the shiver she evoked from him.

* * *

 **So ya kno this happened and well I figured that since I disappeared off the face of the planet you guys deserve...a lil' something. Thanks for your reviews and favorites/follows! I'm just on the fence if I want to continue this particular scene because (I did mention that the rating might change) well I don't know. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. It just depends. Until next time!**

 **-Jen**


	20. Good Things Come with Large Water Parks

**You know what's going to happen when the story's rating changes. I figured I'd get a majority approval of what's to come heh. Whoops! My hand slipped. Have a nice day guys~**

 **Sexy time ahead.**

* * *

Chapter 20

Good Things Come with Large Waterparks

A few spontaneous things happened in her earlier years of college. One, she got a boyfriend the first year of college and that was a shock to all of her friends. Lyra was more than happy and supportive and kept on gushing about how Leander and Evie looked together. There wasn't a moment you could see them separated, or Leander not trying to steal a kiss or ten from Evie.

Two, in an unplanned manner, she had lost her virginity at the end of their first month together. They went on two 'proper' dates, and they just finished the second one at a high end arcade and bowling alley. They got back to his dorm and harmless kissing escalated quickly―took quickly for Evie's muddled brain to process until her back hit the bed. It was a mistake of course, Evie was fully aware of it, but she kept on convincing herself that it would help further the relationship. After that, Leander kept on asking her for more and more, getting more handsy with her especially in public. His personality had appeared to change over night as he became more clingy with his phone and all they did was have sex in his dorm or make out and hold hands on campus. Texts only consisted of requests to come over. No more dates after that. Evie counted four months before breaking it off.

Clearly, Evie thought to herself as she pulled out another moan from the blonde beneath her, what she and Prompto were having was something _more_ than just a one and done. This was slow, both of them were poking and prodding at their boundaries, expanding them further as time lazily ticked away.

"W-wait," Prompto breathed.

Evie was pressing soft kisses in his neck when she stopped, looking up even though she couldn't see him. "What is it?" She asked, breathless as well.

"I...I want to see you." He mumbled and shifted underneath her for a bit before a small, warm light came from his night stand. In a small orange glow, Evie looked at Prompto for the first time. His cheeks were flushed red, hair messy, and his lips were swollen from so much kissing. He had never looked so young and innocent until now and she couldn't help but smile.

"You look cute," she tilted her head and ran her fingers through his tousled hair.

Prompto was caught in a daze, hazy blue eyes shamelessly looking her up and down. "Y-you look cute too!" He sat up suddenly and caught the back of her head with his hand. "Y-you're really _really_...beautiful." He mustered with a kiss, however clumsy. Evie smiled against his mouth and pulled away. Prompto sighed, almost impatiently. "...what is it?"

"Relax," she said, eyes slowly trailing down his torso. "Ever heard of admiring?" His freckles were not only on his cheeks, but they dusted his shoulders until they faded along his chest. He looked like he could easily be burned by the sun, and those beautiful shoulders and nose of his would be the first victim to the sun's harsh rays. But there were more beautiful things Evie had yet to discover.

"You're worth admiring…" he murmured and he made slow kisses down her neck as his hands squeezed at her waist, pulling her closer. He went further down until he reached her breast and gave it an experimental bite. Evie gasped, her skin getting goosebumps all over. She let out soft moans and arched her back.

He could get used to this.

The bundle of nerves at the pit of her stomach starting winding tighter with every nip. Her need for more touches starting bubbling up, making her hips grind up against his. Her soaked entrance moved against his throbbing erection oh-so deliciously that it made Prompto forget what he was doing and left him whimpering.

Her hand trailed down his midsection until it found what it was looking for and gave him one leisure pump. On instinct he bucked up into her hand with another groan. "Eager, hmm?" She purred, suddenly enjoying this new tier of power she had stepped on.

"E-Eve," he rasped. " _Please._ "

She never heard a man beg and it was damn arousing to hear those pleas from Prompto's lips.

"It's more fun if you savor it...trust me," she sealed his whimpers away with a kiss as she steadily pumped him. His hips moved along with her hand as heat started to pool in between her legs. Eyes hazy with lust, she gently nudged him back on the bed, and watched his face contort into phases of pleasure. He looked deep in his own world, but his hand started going down her hips and dipped to her dripping folds. Evie gasped and stiffened up, stopping her hand altogether as his slightly calloused fingers rubbed at her entrance, slipping one finger inside.

His eyes lapped up at the sight of her as she already starting moving along his finger. A lazy smirk curled his lips as he watched the usually collected girl start to unravel over him. "You're pretty eager too, h-huh?"

"Dammit Prom, it's been a while." She breathed.

She finally got herself together and her hand moved up his shaft again. With another stroke she felt his slick arousal coating his entire member, and before she could think of teasing him a little more, she let out a surprised gasp when he lifted her hips ever-so slightly up to align herself with him, removing his fingers in the process. With ease, she slid herself down on him and both of them let out a content sigh. "Astrals...you feel _amazing_ ," he whispered raggedly. For a moment they didn't move, just listened to their heavy breaths and heartbeats.

Bending over him, she gave him another kiss and rocked her hips experimentally.

He groaned, eyelids fluttering. "You're going to kill me, babe."

She giggled and moved slowly, but steadily at first, gradually picking up the pace as her arousal started to fuel her. Grabbing one of his hands, both of them were running up and down her thighs, she pressed it against herself.

He appeared confused at first, but her fingers guided him on how and where to touch. Her hand finally let his go on, his fingers mimicking her rhythmic touches as she rocked faster against him. He looked up at her, gauging her reaction as to what he did and stuck to it when he got her to moan and slam down onto him, her movements were slowly driving him up along a hill.

Getting all the strength he could gather, he gripped her waist with his other hand firmly and flipped their positions. Evie gasped, eyes bewildered to see him on top. Their movements stopping once again. She squirmed under him, egging him to move. "Prom…" She whimpered.

He had her caged in his arms, his eyes focused on hers. His expression was intense, relieved, aroused, and obviously struggling. She could sense his need to just pound away in her, but he looked like he was desperately holding on. He pulled halfway out and then pushed back in in one languid stroke. Evie moaned in her throat, eyes rolling in the back of her head. How in the hell did he still have control? She pinned her legs around his waist, trying to get him to go faster. "Gods...move faster already before I flip us back."

"Eh? You look so cute right now though…" he laughed airily and gave her another full and slow thrust.

"Nnng... _Prompto_!" She cried out. "Just fuck me already!" Evie didn't have the strength to push him back to ride him. Now the tables have turned and she was at the mercy of a boy who supposedly claimed he had no idea what he was doing.

Prompto's initial idea of teasing her made a detour at those words. Rubbing her as he moved, he sunk deep into her and rolled his hips up into her a few times, each thrust getting faster and more frantic.

Their combined pants and moans filled the room as they both claimed each other. Prompto watched her come undone underneath him in one pulsing wave shortly before he came to his own peak.

Prompto finished with a loud moan, shaking and rocking his hips to prolong the pleasure. Evie reached up and and kissed him lazily, both spent and slick with sweat and none of them cared. He pulled out and flopped next to her until he shot up. "W-wait! I didn't pull out!" His voice was panicked.

"Prompto," she laughed at his alarm and gently tugged him back down, "relax, I've been on birth control since Leander."

He sighed. "Good," he let out a laugh of relief. He gave her a few kisses and stopped momentarily to murmur, "Don't think about him or that other ex ever again."

Evie smiled and ran her hand through his blonde locks, giving off a soft orange glow from the lamp. "I promise."

* * *

The sound of an alarm made her flinch, and on instinct her arm flung over to shut off the noise. She had never felt this exhausted, and she did _not_ feel ready to get up. But instead of a phone, her arm had flopped onto something soft and warm. Two seconds later she heard a light chuckle. "Good morning," Prompto's voice was up in her ear, earning a shiver from her.

"You're not a phone…" she yawned. His arm was curled around her midsection and it temporarily disappeared to silence the phone. Evie relished in the warmth his arm gave her and snuggled up against him, her back along his chest. "How long were you up?"

"For a little bit...you kinda kicked my leg."

Evie rolled around so that she was facing him. He looked so at peace with his lazy smile. "I don't kick in my sleep."

"Of course you'd say that. You wouldn't know because you're _asleep_." He laughed and kissed her forehead.

She rolled her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Nine-thirty."

"Then why are you still talking? Just a few more hours," she yawned again and buried her head in the pillow.

"You sound like Noct." He chuckled.

"Hmm." Evie gave him a warning poke in the side.

Prompto kept his mouth shut and rolled onto his back. Evie nestled her head in the crook of his shoulder and placed an arm over his chest. Both of them slipped back into the world of sleep without missing a beat.

They got a couple more hours in before Prompto's stomach roared to life. Both of them woke up, startled, and then laughed about it for a few minutes before getting up to take a quick shower. Apparently Prompto's hunger allowed him to have a quick round in the shower.

"I thought you were hungry!" She groaned, astonished.

Prompto managed to get her pinned on the shower wall and hiked up one of her legs to hook around his hips. "Maybe it's not for food…"

His words sounded hotter than the water that was spraying at them, and fortunately for them they managed to not slip and slide despite Evie's warnings of said cons of doing it in the shower.

Evie let out a stuttered moan when Prompto buried himself deep inside her. Her nails left imprints along his back, but he didn't seem to mind when he got to hear her voice cry out like that.

The shower took forever and now _both_ of them were starving. Luckily Prompto restocked his cereal collection so both of them were enjoying an exquisite feast of sugar and milk in a bowl.

Evie munched on a spoonful of cereal when she looked at the oven's clock. "Don't you have class soon?"

Prompto pointed his lips and looked around as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "Nope."

"I think you do."

"Nope, nope."

"You're not skipping."

"But I wanna hang out with you. I've been so caught up with Noct's wedding we haven't done anything in a while. We should go to the aquarium!"

 _The aquarium sounds like fun._ "Later." She stood to put her bowl in the sink. "After the wedding we have all the time in the world." He pouted and furrowed his brows, but Evie was immune. Instead she went over and kissed him on the cheek.

She went back to the room, dressed on one of Prompto's shirts and shorts, she gathered her essential clothing articles and quickly changed into them. Evie went to look around for her missing phone and keys while Prompto dressed himself for the day begrudgingly.

Evie was rifling through the cushions of the couch when Prompto finally emerged from his room. "Can't find your phone? Then I guess you'll have to stay longer!" Prompto said cheerily. Evie tossed a glance over her shoulder before holding up said phone. It was wedged in between the cushion and the armrest, along with lone pieces of popcorn. Prompto's smile disappeared. "We should do something next week."

She found her keys on the coffee table, thank the Astrals, and straightened herself up. "The aquarium?"

"Or somethin' like that. I wish I could take you to Galdin Quay," he whined, "but it's super expensive…I miss the beach."

"We don't need to binge on everything. No rush," she said and made her way to the door. "C'mon Sunshine."

He perked up at the name and skipped on over to her, grabbing her hand as they walked out together. For the walk they chatted nonstop about what they should do, when, and cringe at all the money they were going to potentially going to burn. Prompto had asked her about how the interview went and what the job entailed, and Prompto was more than excited to learn that she could actually be travelling for her job.

"Who knows, I could be your photographer for the articles you write!" He winked and nudged her.

Evie gave it a moment. That could possibly happen, but it occurred to her that Prompto mentioned he would want to be living close to the Citadel for Noctis. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she couldn't deny Prompto's excited smile. "She has to get back to me. It may be a week or two…"

"Don't be so doubtful. I'm sure you got the job." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as they walked. He pressed a kiss on the side of her head. "I'm proud of you, Eve."

* * *

Evie sat at her desk with a new change of clothes and a can of of pop from Lyra's fridge. She had her laptop cracked open to her email and her music when she opened a new search tab. _Galdin Quay...Insomnia has a water park doesn't it?_

A few clicks later she found herself at the main page of Insomnia's sole waterpark. It had opened a couple years ago, and with it underneath a temperature maintained glass dome, it was always a perfect day to go to the waterpark.

Looking back, Evie would blame this impulsive buy due to Prompto's impulsiveness rubbing off on her but she didn't regret it. The the thought of making his day was enough for Evie.

* * *

A few days later, Prompto got a text on a Wednesday afternoon.

 _'Hey Prom I have a question'_

 _'Shoot'_

 _'Do you like waterparks?'_

 _'Uhhhh yeahh? Who doesnt like em? :OOOO'_

 _'Come to your front door'_

 _'OMG EVIE WHAT DID YOU DO'_

His heart leapt up and he shot up from his kitchen stool, nearly tripping over the poor thing before clambering to the door. He swung it open to find Evie standing with a small backpack and two pieces of something in her hand. "Eve?"

The shorter girl presented him two tickets. "I thought this would be more fun than the aquarium. Please don't tell me your busy because they're good for today."

Prompto blinked and a huge smile curled his lips. He jumped up and down like an excited kid. "For real?!" He looked around frantically. "Ok, ok, just lemme get ready."

It took him two seconds for him to run to his room to find the needed things. Moments later he came out wearing swim trunks and a dark shirt with a wadded up towel and clothes in hand. "Here, just throw them in," Evie slung her bag off her shoulder and offered it to him.

He stuffed his clothes inside and practically whisked her away to the nearest cab. The waterpark wasn't that far of a car ride but it would be awfully taxing on their feet. Prompto was looking out the window, feet restlessly tapping an unheard beat.

When they pulled up to the entrance, Evie nearly had to tackle him down from running through the gates and plowing over small children. She handed over her tickets when they got to the front and Prompto eagerly tugged her inside. Prompto was swinging their hands back and forth as he pointed out to all of the slides he wanted to go on.

The indoor water park was _huge_ and loud with all the echoes of screaming children and water splashing bouncing off the glass. Not to mention it was as hot like what Evie would expect Galdin to be. The tallest slides were the ones that went straight down and Evie put down a flat out 'no' to those, but Prompto wasn't going to take that as an answer.

They found a locker and proceeded to put their things inside, but Evie stopped Prompto just before he was about to jet off to the nearest inner tube. "Wait! Hold this," she said, handing him the bag as she fished around in it. When she pulled out a bottle of sunblock, Prompto wrinkled his nose.

"Evie we're _inside_." He whined.

She blinked and paused as she uncapped the bottle. "Sunblock isn't going to kill you. Besides, it's a clear day and those sun's rays are passing through that glass. You might as well be outside!"

Prompto sighed dramatically, but it stopped halfway when he saw Evie slowly remove the shirt she was wearing. He nearly dropped the bag when he saw her adorned in a navy blue bikini with cutouts in the back. His complaining practically disappeared when he watched her apply the sunblock on her legs. When Evie glanced up at him, he was staring at her hands moving up and down her thigh, smiling wide and cheeks pink as if the sun already got him.

"You act like you've never seen me before," she laughed.

"W-well no! Not in a bathing suit…" he murmured. "Y-you look cute." He said and glanced away.

"C'mon, shirt off." She instructed, putting sunblock on his cheeks and nose. He mewled like an unhappy cat.

"Okay, okay!" He laughed lightly and peeled off the shirt and stuffed it in the bag. When Evie handed him the bottle, he hesitated. "Do I _have_ to? It smells."

"You're going to get burns on your shoulders and nose, I can just feel it. And you're going to complain about it later." She pressed.

"You sound like Ignis…" he frowned and reluctantly took the bottle.

"Hurry up," she said, "I think the line's growing for that one slide."

Prompto sloppily put on sunblock on his arms and shoulders, completely ignoring his back and chest and threw everything in the locker, grabbing Evie's wrist and hurrying to take an inner tube from one of the piles.

Halfway up the staircase, Evie peered over the railings and willed herself to look away. She wasn't one for heights, but she would still go on just for Lyra's sake. The first slide Prompto picked was one that sent off the riders into a funnel before zipping down a slide with rushing currents.

Prompto on the other hand was bouncing up and down. He managed to find his waterproof phone case just before they left and he was snapping _everything_. He and Evie took selfie after selfie and she wondered if he had an extra battery in that case otherwise he wouldn't last a quarter of their stay. "The sunblock is all up in my nose," he said, rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand.

"It'll go away." She laughed.

Ten minutes later, Evie's heart was pounding as the start of the slide crept closer and closer. "You managed to get me on this slide, but I will never go on that slide of death," she said, pointing at the tower of staircases in the distance.

"Au contraire," he put an arm around her waist, "you knew what you signed yourself up for."

"I didn't realize you liked death defying rides."

"Eve I take selfies with daemons," he deadpanned.

She groaned. "Don't remind me."

They eventually got to the top and Prompto set the tube down. They both climbed in and the lifeguards pushed them off.

Prompto was hooping and hollering as the slide dipped into the funnel. It was pitch black and there were lights spinning and sparkling inside. Evie screamed and gripped on the handles for dear life as they were rocketed down the slide, now blinded by the lights of the water park. Prompto was laughing behind her.

They crashed into the pool down below and Prompto was off already, his eyes set on the next slide he wanted to go on. It was a double slide that braided up and over each other. "Eve! We can race on this one!"

"Race?!"

* * *

Evie had covered her face halfway down the tube to keep the water from rushing up her nose. The slide was fast and at some points she found herself airborne as it looped over Prompto's slide. No doubt he could hear her bat sonic screams, and when she made it to the bottom, she sat up, laughing at herself in disbelief. She wiped the water from her eyes and found Prompto stumbling out of the landing pool, no doubt dizzy from the slide.

"I totally beat you!" He said, pointing at her on wobbly feet. His hair was officially soaked and he shook it out, making her shriek.

"You wanna bet? If that slide wasn't covered I'm sure I would've flown out!"

Just as they left, he cornered her at the railing and kissed her out of adrenaline, too excited to wait. She was so thrown off she had to hold onto his shoulders from falling over.

"Prompto!" She exclaimed, laughing as she finally pulled away. "There are _kids_ here! Keep the kisses toned down."

"But I like kissing my girlfriend," he said, kissing her again to prove a point.

Evie poked his sides and he recoiled with a squeak. "Next ride." Arms over each other's shoulders, they walked down one of the pathways, debating which slide to go on next.

"Oh! When does the bucket tip over?"

" _No_. That water is always _freezing_ for some reason."

He glanced down at her with a smirk that said: "I'm not going down without a fight".

* * *

 **Going to the water park for a date sounds like the best thing in the world. And I've officially changed the rating soooo yeah. Who knows what's going to happen~ Thank you so so much for last chapter's reviews! I was worried people weren't going to read because it had been a while since my last update. I can't say how often my updates are going to be, but hey it would be great if you stuck around! *finger guns***

 **-Jen**


	21. Sun Kissed

**Hey guys. Thanks for your continuous support! We continue with the rest of the water park date.**

 **And to answer a question I got (I thought I mentioned Evie's appearance before, but here ya go! (I'd message you but you're on guest :'D)) Evie has green eyes and has short, wavy strawberry blonde hair (like a bob/pixie cut?) She's light skinned but not as much as Prompto and has light freckles. A couple inches shorter than Prompto and I'm pretty sure if she wore heels she would be taller, but then again he spikes his hair up super high so who knows~?**

* * *

Chapter 21

Sun Kissed

Evie would have thought Prompto's energy would slowly disappear like every other person if they were at a water park, but nope. After they grabbed lunch Evie convinced him to join her in the lazy river before they go off to the next slide, and they were practically playing bumper tubes. Prompto accidentally splashed a few other park goers, an older couple, and Evie had to apologize for him but they didn't seem to mind. As Evie and Prompto passed them she overheard one of the ladies gush, "Oh Uriah, remember when we used to be like that?" Prompto apparently also overheard and just smirked at Evie.

"What's that look for?" She exclaimed, cheeks pink, and promptly splashed him.

"She has returned fire! It's war!"

The girl shrieked and used her tube as a shield, but Prompto dove under and wrapped his arms around her midsection and started tickling her.

There was a fork in the lazy river and Evie quickly retreated to the right side before Prompto was swept away with the other current, but the fork joined back as one after a few feet. Evie finally got back on the tube and was just relaxing for a moment's peace before her tube dipped to one side. She sat up, alarmed to find Prompto with his arms perched on her tube.

Water was dripping down his nose and chin and his wet hair was swept to one side and it stuck up funny. By now the sun definitely kissed his face. "Can I help you?" Evie asked, gripping on the handles just in case he decided to flip her over for the tenth time.

"I'm just a little merman looking for this cute pirate captain." He said innocently.

"Oh," she rolled her eyes, "why did she steal something?"

"Yeah," he clutched at his chest dramatically, "my heart!"

The cheesiness didn't end for Evie.

And neither did Prompto's determination for her to go on the tallest, steepest slide in the park.

It was later in the day and the sun was finally out of the glass dome's view. The lights turned on and it felt like the sun never disappeared. Evie was concerned the lights were going to give Prompto an even worse burn because sure enough his shoulders started to get all toasty, and his back was a light pink. He didn't put sunblock on back there anyways.

They went around and did their favorite rides, and now they were just walking around figuring out what to hit up again until they reached the entrance to the slide they haven't gone on. Either it was Prompto's planning or it was by chance that they stopped there. Evie was going with the first.

"C'mon Eve! Just close your eyes!" He wheedled.

"No! I'm probably gonna pass out for being so high up just for waiting to get on the actual slide!"

"But you can go two at a time! I'll be right next to you." He was already tugging her to the staircase. "Please?"

"If I die I'm blaming you!"

"You're not gonna die." He laughed, amused with her dramatic ensemble.

"Prompto Argentum I have been on every other ride, isn't that good enough?"

"Nope. C'mon, just one time!"

She stared at the ungodly steep slide, imagining all of the things that could go wrong but alas, she knew she couldn't bring Prompto down from cloud 9. "Fine."

It appeared Prompto could sense her uneasiness because he kept on talking to her to distract the obvious distance they were putting between them and the ground. "Ignis would just be lounging in a chair right about now. He insists that he can perfectly watch our things instead of putting it in a locker, but he's just finding an excuse to get out of getting on a slide and ruining his hair."

Evie snorted, staring at her boyfriend and not at the ground. "I can believe that. But I thought you would hate to get your hair all messed up."

"If it's in the name of fun I'll do anything."

"I know."

They were one platform away from reaching the top and Evie could hear her heart thud in her ears. Prompto was standing behind her and he wrapped his around her stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Okay, so after this slide we can go on whatever you want."

"So the lazy river it is then."

"Sounds good." He kissed the side of her head. "I think your shoulders are a little burnt."

"Pfft, you have it worse. Mine will just turn into a tan."

Another pause. "You have freckles."

She blinked. "I do. But they're not that noticeable."

"It's cute!"

Evie laughed. "Whatever you say. I think yours are cuter."

"Nuh-uh," he said in a childish tone, "yours are." He assured.

She couldn't believe she was having such an absurd conversation about whose freckles were 'cuter', but she could appreciate it. "Your freckles are your signature look. You'd be a completely different person if you didn't have them. Have you ever played 'connect-the-dots' with your freckles?"

He snorted. "Loads. I managed to find four chocobos."

"Only four?"

And there they were at the slides. Evie paled at the view. Not only could she see the entirety of the park, but what was beyond the glass dome. She could've sworn she saw the citadel from here. "Prompto how lousy would I be if I wanted to back out?"

"Wellllll, consider this: going down the slide is a lot faster than going down the stairs."

"Prompto!" Her heart leapt into her throat. "That's not helping!"

"Just lie down and let gravity do the rest." He encouraged and gave her midsection a gentle squeeze. "I'll see you at the bottom. You can do this."

Evie wanted to keep his arms glued around her and she felt this sudden sense of dread when he left her to get on his slide. Legs numbly carrying her, she sat down and went on her back. She heard the countdown from the lifeguards and then she was pushed off gently.

Evie screamed louder than before, covering her face from the water. She swore her back didn't touch the slide until halfway down. When she finally cruised to a stop, she sat up, paler than a ghost and heart going at lightspeed.

Prompto had helped her to her feet and Evie proclaimed she would never go on that slide ever again and he accepted it. For the next hour, both of them were relaxing in the lazy river like normal people and Evie's soul was able to catch up to her body.

They were floating down the river along with the current in their inner tubes, hands linked. Prompto ran his thumb over her hand in gentle circles. "Hey, Eve?" His voice broke Evie out of her trance from looking up at the sky beyond the glass. The evening colors were starting to paint over the light blue.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for today. I needed this break." He squeezed her hand.

She smiled. Truth be told she needed this immensely. Her mind needed to be distracted from classes and the impending doom called 'adulthood' that was lurking beyond 2 more months. "I just hope the sunburn won't make us regret anything."

"I wouldn't regret anything. I managed to get you to go on all the rides with me!" Prompto was elated. Too bad she couldn't see his smile.

"Your poor nose though…"

"You can always kiss it to make it better?"

Evie laughed and shook her head. "It'll just sting."

"Stop depriving me of my kisses!" Prompto flicked some water at her.

She shivered, having the front part of her body all dried from the warm air and lights. "Don't be so dramatic!"

"Says the girl who said she was going to 'die' on the slide."

"I had good enough reason to be nervous!"

Eventually they called it a day and dragged themselves out of the river.

* * *

The two nearly passed out when they climbed into a taxi, but Prompto managed to keep both of them up as he was swiping through all of the pictures he took. He took a particular liking to a one where he did a sneak attack on Evie. He was smiling like a goof whereas Evie had her mouth covered and eyes closed, but it was easy to tell that she was smiling behind those hands. Another one was where he had someone take their picture and they were standing in front of a water ride, forming one large heart with their arms.

They were dropped off at Prompto's apartment where they entered and practically dove head first in the couch, but Evie wrinkled her nose when the smell of chlorine hit her. Thank gods she brought an extra pair of clothes this time.

She had her eye fixated on the bathroom. "You wanna shower first?" She asked as she kicked her flip-flops off.

"'M'too tired t'shower," Prompto whined as he made his way to the couch.

"Alright, I'll steal all of the hot water then."

Prompto held up a hand with a flourish as if he was struck with the most brilliant idea in all of Eos. "How 'bout this? We shower together!"

Evie mustered all of the strength to squint at him but it didn't work. "No funny business, mister. I'm too tired."

"Trust me, babe. I'm ready to hibernate." His words contradicted the sudden hop in his step as he made his way to the bathroom. Evie followed after him and turned on the faucet. They peeled off their clothes and damp suits and jumped into the shower.

For the most part they minded their own business, washing up and rinsing, until Prompto yelped when the water hit his back. His back was an angry red from the sun.

"I put on sunblock! You saw me!"

Evie was examining the burn. "Yeah but you didn't do your back. I was going to say something but you were already running off!"

Prompto whined like a kid. "How bad is it?"

"Bad." He reeled his head back, frowning. "Well it still needs to get cleaned. We need to get the sunblock off." He protested but Evie already grabbed the soap and washcloth. "I won't put too much pressure. Now, stay still."

After gently washing down his back, while putting up a little struggle, they finished cleaning up and Evie was about to turn off the water when Prompto pulled her flush against his chest. Evie didn't protest much, inhaling the fresh scent of soap on his body. Prompto hummed in content and buried his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling it. Evie giggled when he pressed small kisses on her wet skin. She ran her hands along his sides, tracing the dips and bumps from his lean muscles.

His hands smoothed up and down her waist before going down her hips and thighs. Evie gasped. "I-I thought I said no funny business."

His lips found their way to the curve of her shoulder, kissing the stray freckles he could find. "I just wanna touch you…" he murmured.

"There's this thing called cuddling, and we can do that outside the shower." She breathed, unconsciously tilting her head as he continued to make her skin buzz with soft kisses.

"Nnnnnng," he pulled away reluctantly and when the water was turned off they were quick to dry and change into fresh clothes. They jumped into his bed and buried themselves under the sheets and comforter. Just as Evie got comfortable, Prompto already pulled her against his chest.

They didn't exchange any words, but took pleasure in the silence. Prompto traced circles along Evie's back as she curled into him, forehead resting against his. They stared at each other, and through a small exchange of nose and forehead kisses they fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, both of them had class. Evie was sitting in one of her classes for journalism when Prompto texted her complaining that his back itches, but if he scratched it then it would hurt. Evie couldn't help but laugh and feel sorry for the poor boy. Ignis would definitely be playing as mom and giving him the "I told you so" lecture.

After her class she snagged a copy of this week's issue of the paper to deliver to one of her professors. Her office was located on the second floor of the library and Evie was thankful for the walk. Spring was finally melting away most of the snow and the trees were starting to bud.

She made it to her professor's office and dropped off the paper. Professor Bonavento was an older lady who taught Insomnian history and literature and to this day was still one of Evie's favorites. She had a nice chat with her before Professor Bonavento had to leave for one of her lectures and Evie was by herself until she reached the commons of the second floor.

Lounging on one of the plush couches was someone of a familiar build. Huge shoulders and brown hair brush back over his hair. Approaching the couch, she tapped the man on the shoulder. "Gladio?"

Sure enough the bodyguard looked up from his phone. He appeared disgruntled that is until he saw Evie's face. A smile adorned his features. "Hey stranger."

She observed the seating area around him and found no sleeping prince. "Noct's in a class?"

"Yep. Just a few more months of this."

"And then you can babysit him at the citadel when he's king. I don't think he'll be able to sleep through council meetings then."

Gladiolus smirked. "You just passing through?"

"I was, but I don't have another class until a few hours from now so I can just sit with you if you're not against it."

He patted the seat next to him and she obliged. Evie sat back in the couch, shifting her shoulders a bit. They got a good amount of sun and the fabric irritated her skin much like Prompto's, but at least it was manageable. "So how are you and Blondie?"

"We're doing pretty good. We may have gone to the water park yesterday," she laughed and rummaged through her bag to pull out a water bottle.

"Gods, Prompto was spamming the damn chat with pictures." He appeared affectionately frustrated when he said that.

"Is that why you looked so mad when I first walked up to you?"

He chuckled. "At this point I'm used to Prompto shoving selfies of you two in our faces. You got him worse than Cindy." His phone chimed and he glanced at it. Evie's eyes followed to his phone and glazed over the words "King's Knight" before he flipped his phone over.

"You do play that game, huh?"

"What? King's Knight?" Gladio shifted in his seat and rested his arm across the top of the couch. "Not as much as Noct and Prompto play it. As much as they hate to admit it, I always get the better score."

"That's not what I've heard." She laughed. She knew about the game long before Prompto, knowing that it swept over campus like a wildfire. Lyra downloaded the game and then deleted it a week after claiming that it was 'dangerously addicting' and that it would 'ruin her life'. Truth be told she had the game on her phone as well, but it was stowed away in a folder of forgotten games that needed to be uninstalled however Prompto convinced her to play a few rounds.

"Prompto's been talking trash huh?" That seemed to spark his inner competitiveness. He picked up his phone and opened the app. "Did Prompto rope you into this game?"

"Not initially. I just downloaded it because everyone else did when it was first released." She took out her phone. "We can play a quick round?"

After finally getting the campus' shoddy wifi to work, they added each other and they started a round. Minutes of swearing and close calls went by and Evie had her eyes glued to her phone screen. She had been so engrossed with the game she didn't see Noctis flop onto the couch across from them.

"Good chat, guys." Noctis said with a dry laugh.

"We're in the middle of something very important right now," Gladio huffed, squinting at his screen.

"King's Knight." Evie explained.

"Oh you play that game? I'm down for a round," Noctis said. From Evie's peripheral vision she saw the prince take out his phone.

The round between Evie and Gladio ended shortly with Evie as the victor, to which the muscled man was shocked but shrugged it off with his usual easy-going grin. The prince merely smirked and they were all waiting for their round to start.

"Of course she would beat you. Let's be honest Gladio, you're all talk."

"I'm gonna make you eat your words, little kid."

The three sat there, tension strung high as the monsters got harder to kill and the speed was picking up. Evie's eyes stung as she blinked for staring at the small screen for so long and just as she finished another wave of monsters the game froze on her and Lyra's profile picture flashed on the screen. The game closed in on itself. "Dammit Lyra!" She hissed.

"Aw what happened E? You disappeared!" Gladio said, eyes fixated on the screen.

"Lyra's calling me―" she muttered and answered the call. "This better be important!"

"Sorry," she drew out each syllable with her usual sass, "anywho, guess who I ran into?"

Evie rolled out her neck and sat back with a silent huff. "Who." She grumbled.

"Ignis!"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"You know―the tall hot guy with glasses―" she supplied.

"I know who Ignis is!" She hurried. "What do mean you 'ran into him'?" The two males looked up from their phones at the name of their friend.

"I was heading to the clinic and I saw him walking down the sidewalk. He was running errands so we couldn't talk for long."

"So why couldn't you just text me?"

"Girl you know I can't walk and text at the same time! I'm almost at the clinic so I'll talk to you later!"

Evie pulled her lips in a tight smile. "Uh-huh."

"Dammit!" Noctis groaned and leaned back in the couch, holding up his phone in disbelief. Gladio merely smirked and gave the prince a mock salute.

"What was that?" Lyra asked.

"I'm playing, _was_ playing, King's Knight with Noct and Gladio and then you freaking called me! You crashed my game!"

Lyra laughed. "Sorry sorry!" She said without an ounce of guilt. "I didn't know. I'll let you get back to that then."

With that the call ended. Evie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Gods dammit, Lyra.

* * *

 **Some lighthearted bonding with the other bros. And believe it or not but their graduation is going to be a few more chapters! I can't wait to type up the next half of Evie and the rest of the guys' life after college. I'm also really enjoying reading your predictions of what's going to happen for Noct's wedding! I'd answer your questions but I don't wanna spoil anything ;;;; I can say there will be no deaths involved though! I'm dead set on this story being all cute and slice of life with typical drama lol.**

 **I'll see you for the next one!**

 **-Jen**


	22. Locked Target

**Uhh, this is long overdue. Like _really_ overdue. I'm really sorry for the wait!**

* * *

Chapter 22

Locked Target

Spring break had been rolling up at a very slow speed, even for Evie. She hadn't realized how much procrastination had took ahold of her until after the 4th time spending game night with Prompto and the guys. To be fair, she was on top of everything but she was starting to push assignments back further and further down the week.

Game nights weren't so bad either. She found herself enjoying the company and the banter, and it seemed like she was starting to become a usual target for some of it. Ignis made casual remarks on how sloppy her form was when she would play darts, but out of beginner's luck she would always land the dart on or around the targeted area. She would then respond to his comments with a hand on her hip and an arched brow that said: "You were saying?" He would merely adjust his glasses and silently gesture for her to collect her darts.

It became apparent that Evie and Gladio were developing a little competition when they would play pool. To put it in Lyra's words, Evie "scienced the shit out of pool". Evie would pull a half-ass attempt at trying to sink at least 2 balls in one shot but she would sometimes manage to sneak a third one in, much to everyone's surprise. She wasn't able to nail simple shots, however. Regardless, the guys were starting to make bets and despite Evie's warnings that Prompto shouldn't be throwing his money everywhere, bets were made and money was lost.

Video games were still not Evie's forte. After Noctis obliterated her with one too many shells, she became very salty in particular towards Mario Kart and stubbornly refused to play.

"The hell man?!" Evie screeched as her kart went spiraling into a wall.

"There can be only one," Noctis laughed as he sped past Evie.

She still had yet to enact her revenge as she was still fumbling with the controls.

And as she spent more time with the guys, the more she learned of the messy things that had to happen _after_ Noctis' wedding. All of these political meetings, social events, and so on were starting to open Evie's eyes to a different view on Noctis' status. They were the same age but he had so many things that were going to be thrown on his shoulders shortly after the wedding and she couldn't help but feel bad for the poor guy. There was this annoying voice in her head that kept on berating her for potentially impeding on their guy time, but Prompto and everyone else had been insistent on her hanging out with them when they can all get together. She still couldn't shake off the feeling that she still didn't really 'fit in the ranks' so to speak.

Lyra was convinced that the guys were really starting to like Evie, but Evie thought otherwise. As nice as they were towards her, Evie still felt like she was just a tag along for Prompto and that the guys just had to be nice to her on default because she was their friend's girlfriend.

Evie and Prompto were sitting in the study room, both of them were at their laptops. For once they were actually getting things done, at least on Evie's part. She just finished reading the articles for her section in the paper.

"Hey, hey!" Prompto whispered from across the table, gently nudging her foot with his own. She looked up from her screen to see him smiling. _He's up to something…_

"Yes?"

"Out of the goodness of my heart I'm letting you know _three days in advance_ ," he started, outstretching his arms with a flourish. Evie rolled her eyes. "The guys and I are going on a mini trip for spring break―just a couple of days. Did you wanna come with us? We're probably just gonna go rent a few chocobos and wander around."

Evie furrowed her brows and pulled her lips in a tight smile. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Eh? What do you mean? They're all pretty chill around you―at least Gladio is when you don't roast his ass at pool," he laughed.

"Prom, think about it." She said, leaning back in her seat. "Noct is getting married at the end of the semester. Spring break is basically your second to last trip with him before he gets hitched."

"The trip to Galdin Quay to take the boat to Altissia is the last road trip―the last hurrah is in summer!" He explained. "Spring break isn't going to be the whole week―Noct has stuff to do during break so that's why this trip gonna be a couple days."

"No," she said in the lightest tone she could muster, "I'll pass. I'm not going to squeeze myself into a trip if I'm not invited."

He frowned. "But you are! I'm inviting you!"

"Prom."

"You know I'm gonna be super busy when summer comes." His eyes flickered to his screen with a dejected look in his eye. "I just want to spend more time with you before then."

It was her turn to nudge his foot.

"That's fine. It's just another month." She closed her laptop to give her eyes a break. Evie stretched out her back and rubbed her eyes.

"So then after Noct's wedding we can start planning our own trips! Then again I don't know how busy everything's gonna get. King Regis might step down soon after Noct gets married sooo…"

She stopped mid-rub. Evie looked at her boyfriend, dubious. "When was this?!"

He shrugged. "It's what I've been hearing from Iggy and when I go to the Citadel with Noct occasionally. The war had really taken a toll on his body y'know."

It wasn't new news to hear that King Regis' strength had been dwindling especially during the war against Niflheim. Even though it ended six years ago, the media had been covering His Majesty's quick decline even after the truce had been called. But to hear that Noctis might gain the throne in such little time after being married was shocking.

"So Noctis might be king before the year ends, huh?"

"Maybe. I don't think anything's set in stone but we'll see." He shrugged. Prompto closed his laptop finally. Putting his hands behind his head, he looked up at the ceiling. "I'm having a hard time thinking that my pal's gonna be ruler of Insomnia. Gods, he might have to push his meetings in the afternoon or evening because there's no way he can wake up to go to a boring-ass meeting in the morning." He laughed.

Something sour made Evie frown. "Looks like you'll be busy looking after him then."

"I'll try not to be. Noct will have a whole team of bodyguards with him anyways. Iggy and Gladio will be at the Citadel more often than me, so we can still be able to do things." Apologies were laced in his words and it just made Evie feel worse.

"You don't have to force yourself to make time for me. I'll have the job for the magazine too so…"

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to visit you at work and I can look all cool with my Crownsguard uniform!"

Evie smirked. Of all the things he was excited for, it had to be the uniform. "Geeze, I'll _really_ feel out of place when that happens." A dry laugh escaped from her. "I'll just be some common journalist who happens to be affiliated with royals and social elites. Sometimes I wonder why you'd still invite me on road trips and stuff."

The blonde frowned, picking up her words in a different frequency than what she was putting out. He sat up in his chair and put his arms on the table. "Of course I'd still―you're my girlfriend, I wanna spend time with you! Make good memories!" He gave her a half smile. "You realize I'm just a pleb too. I'm _nowhere_ near Ignis and Gladio rankwise."

"You're a commoner with a golden status card." She affirmed.

"I don't come from a family of elites. I just happen to be Noct's friend." He paused. "If I wasn't then I'd just be some average dude going to college."

" _Still_." She fiddled with her phone case. Evie let out a forced laugh. "I feel like I'm out of place when I get grouped with you all. I'm just a boring girl with a major in journalism. Besides, part of the reason why I don't wanna join you on your trips is because I know how much you guys like bounty hunting, and I can't even hold a knife the right way so it's best if I humbly bow out before I make a fool out of myself and slow you guys down."

Prompto pursed his lips and looked up in thought. Seconds later his eyes lit up with an idea cranking in his head. "So why not learn?"

She arched a brow, hesitant to respond.

"I mean if you're up to it!" He explained, his voice growing with more excitement. "How 'bout I take you to a shooting range? I can teach you how to shoot!"

There was a reason that she didn't like shooters in video games. Besides her lousy aim, just the thought of carrying a small weapon that was capable of ending someone's life wasn't something that sat well in her conscience.

Prompto must've seen how her lips curled into a small frown because he looked like he was hesitant on pressing on the matter. "Since you're so worried about the hunts...why not? I mean it's that or you can be swinging around a greatsword."

"Rather not."

"So," he drawled out, wiggling his eyebrows at her, "do you wanna give it a 'shot'?" He held up finger guns for emphasis. Evie covered her face and shook her head as if it could block the horrible pun. She suppressed a groan and promptly leaned over the table to smack his hands. What caught her off guard was when the boy took ahold of one of her hands. In an attempt to amuse her he kissed the back of her hand. "Does the lady agree?" He inquired with a lilt in his voice as if to mock a certain advisor.

Evie wriggled her hand free and poked his forehead. "The lady is undecided." She couldn't fight her smile.

"Our next date can be at a shooting range! C'mon it'll be fun!"

"I don't wanna blow off my finger!" She protested.

Prompto laughed away her concern. "Evie, that's impossible." She was starting to lose her footing on where she stood as he looked at her with hope in his eyes. "We can get food after!" He sat up from his seat, as Evie was still somewhat leaning over the table and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Stop being so damn cute! It isn't fair!" She huffed, cheeks red. "Fine, fine." Evie plopped down in her seat. "When?"

* * *

Going to a shooting range as a date was something Evie would've never expected to happen throughout her dating life. She felt so out of place when she walked in with her boyfriend. Prompto greeted a few of the people inside and it became apparent that this was one of the places where he practiced if he wasn't at the Citadel with the guys.

It all happened in a blur really, and before she knew it she was given a pair of glasses and earplugs and a gun in hand. Prompto insisted that he teach her and even though she felt better that she wasn't going to be instructed by some stranger it still felt strange to hold the gun. It felt like a brick and she was wary of holding it up.

She wasn't even shooting anything right now and she was already a bundle of nerves. "Okay this is how you're going to stand," Prompto said, "feet apart like this." He was standing to the side of her, showing her what to mirror. Evie nodded and numbly moved her feet. Her hand was buzzing with the small handgun in her grip. "Eve," he said gently, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "relax."

"How were you like when you first used a gun?"

"I...wasn't that bad actually." He laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Gee Prom, you're making me feel _much_ better."

After a few minutes of showing her what to do, she could finally switch the safety off. Her palms were sweaty when she adjusted her grip on the gun and ever-so slowly, she pulled the trigger. The ear muffs definitely dimmed down the sound, but the force from the gun was what caught her off guard. If Prompto didn't give her a good talk-through earlier she would've dropped the gun out of surprise.

She was more focused on how her hands buzzed than the fact that she utterly missed her target (not that she was really aiming for it anyways). A thrill went through her though she was unsure if it was bad or good. It wasn't like she went out shooting as often as Prompto did, and boy those shooter games were nothing compared to the real thing. Having this weapon in your hand was _powerful_ and she was aware you needed a clear head when you used it, and she figured it out then and there that this wasn't the weapon for her, if she even needed a weapon to begin with.

Getting her thoughts collected, she went through a few more bullets before she had to reload. She managed to get the chest area from the target a couple times, but she cringed at the thought of that whirring piece of metal lodging into something _real_ and _breathing_.

Shakily putting the safety on, she lowered the gun to see an eager Prompto waiting for her opinion. His bright eyes dazzled through the protective glasses.

Evie shook her head and mustered a smile.

"Here, lemme see it." Prompto said, holding out his hand.

She smirked and with a roll of her eyes she handed it to him. "You gonna show off?"

"You know it!" He sang and the two swapped places. Prompto reloaded with fast fingers and in a blur he held up the gun and with three pops from the gun there were three perfectly placed bullet holes in the target's head. Evie paled. Who knew her boyfriend could pass off as a potential sharp shooting serial killer.

With a personal touch of flare, Prompto twirled the gun in his hand before firing off again. Evie flinched every time the gun went off but it was hard to shake away her amazement when she saw how cleanly marked the target was. Prompto went to blow off imaginary smoke off the gun much to Evie's amusement.

Enough was enough and they exited the shooting range, returning the gun and shooting gear along with it. The man standing behind the counter sat up from his stool, picking up the ear muffs they placed on the glass counter. "So, how'd you like it?" He asked.

Evie shook her head. "No."

"No?" The guy chuckled, amused.

"She did alright for her first try," Prompto offered but he was quickly dismissed with the wave of a hand from the guy manning the counter.

"Oh come on, Prompto. I bet you showed off and just made her feel bad. I know you."

Prompto was about to defend with a rebuttal, but Evie was quick to respond. "He _did_ show off, but I don't like guns in the first place."

* * *

"No guns for me. I leave the hunting to you." Evie declared as they took a seat on the porch of a nearby restaurant. The warm spring air had settled in a week ago and all they had to look forward to was warmer weather, allergies, and their food.

"But it was fun right?" He asked.

"It was... _different_."

Prompto made a small frown. "You didn't like it."

Evie shrugged, making an unsure face. "I guess there's a reason why I don't like shooter games. At least I can mark that off my bucket list!" Her attempt to make light of the situation didn't go as planned. Instead, Prompto sat back in his chair, trying not to show the disappointment that was looming over him like a cloud.

"This was a failed date!" He exclaimed, exaggerating his already existing frown. He put his forehead on the table with a soft thump. "Am I losing my cute date charm?" He murmured.

Evie wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for him or laugh at his ridiculousness. "It wasn't a failed date, c'mon," she assured, reaching over the table to poke his head. "We're eating lunch right now! That's a date!"

Prompto looked up at her and pouted. "That doesn't count! We always go out and eat."

"It's not a failed date. And you're just as charming as ever."

He sat back in his chair properly, only now he was fiddling with his phone case. "We need a makeup date."

She tilted her head. "Like what?"

"I dunno. Something better than the shooting range."

"Well we already went to the water park…"

The food they ordered at the counter was delivered to them after that. Lunch went by with conversation after conversation, Prompto circling back to how bad he felt about the 'failed date' even though Evie insisted that it was fine.

* * *

Fun and games aside, they returned to campus and parted ways mainly due to Evie's worklist. With Lyra out of town to take care of a sick relative, Evie was running low on excuses on putting things off. Evie had collected her laptop and her bag and hurried off to the library to snag a table. Not even five minutes in on typing away at her laptop there was a tap on her table. She looked up to see a set of a familiar eyes and smile.

"Oh, hey," she said while trying to keep her voice down.

"How've you been?" Dom was sporting a backpack with his phone and earbuds in one hand. He gestured to one of the empty chairs across from her and Evie motioned for him to take a seat.

Evie was tempted to go for the universal answer: I'm alright, but she thought back on it. Instead she gave him a shrug with an honest response, "I'm trudging through the last few weeks, I can say that."

Dom's smile remained on his face, but his eyebrows shifted into a sympathetic look. "Believe me, we're in the same boat. Half of my class shows up most of the time. At this point my professor doesn't care anymore: if you fail the final then that's your fault."

It occurred to Evie that their conversations had been confined completely to school, or unless if Lyra jumped in to squeeze herself in as a subject to talk about, not that Evie cared.

"Sounds reasonable."

Dom nodded and set his backpack down in the empty seat next to him. Evie tried not to roll her eyes: she had things to get done! However Evie was too nice to shoo people away, and it made it worse due to Dom's friendly personality. It almost mirrored Prompto's, only Dom was more toned down. "Any word from Lyra?"

 _She would pop up sooner or later._

"Not recently. Lestallum isn't too far of a drive, but maybe she's too busy with," she waved her hand around lazily, "everything going on over there."

"You wouldn't think she's not out looking for her next conquest?" He inquired.

If she didn't know Dom any better she would've taken offense to that―well she did but she shrugged it off quickly. "There might be a few cute guys, but she definitely puts family first. She has yet to send me the 'cute guy alarm'."

Evie went to check her email for any updates from the interview with Callista when Dom's voice brought her back.

"Speaking of conquests, how's your boyfriend?"

She covered her mouth to hold back a snort. "I'd hardly say he's a _conquest_. He's alright―bit occupied with Noctis and the whole wedding trip coming up."

"Must be kinda hard trying to find time for each other then?"

Evie looked back on a few of their little dates fondly. "Yeah, but we make sure to take advantage of the free time we get. We went to a waterpark."

"I knew there was something different!" He gestured at her face, "you look a little darker. You went to the glass dome one, yeah?"

"Oh yeah," she laughed lightly, "Prompto was cooked."

They were silent for a moment which gave Evie some time to finally look at her email. Sorting through what needed to be trashed and things that needed to be read, her eyes glazed over the name Callista. Curious, she opened the file and felt a sense of giddiness building up inside her as she read the message.

The first world _Welcome_ was the only thing that registered and now she was skimming:

 _...I apologize for such a late response… you have been selected… you will have an email sent to you for your login information and orientation, but your start date is not until after your graduation date you have provided for us…_

Evie scrambled to find the associated email and by the time she found her login information, Dom was looking at her inquisitively. Apparently she had been smiling like a goof for the past five minutes and it only got broader with each passing second.

"Astrals―" she murmured.

"What is it?"

Evie clapped her hands together and froze when she heard it echo off the tall ceilings. _Calm down, girl_. "So you know I applied for this job at Travel Insomnia, and I got the job." She said, bewildered.

"That's awesome!" Dominic stretched an arm across the table to give her a hi-five. "When do you start?"

"After graduation."

"Hmm...so you're not gonna go with Prompto to Altissia?"

Evie cocked her head to the side, confused. "I wouldn't be going anyways. It's not like I'm even invited _inside_ the wedding. You thought I was going to tag along?"

"I thought you'd at least go for their road trip."

"And intrude on their guy time? I made it clear that I don't wanna go. Besides, it'll be broadcasted everywhere."

Dom propped his chin on his hand. "All work and no play huh? That doesn't sound like too much fun. But it's cool that you two give each other space―some of my friends have _very_ clingy partners."

She gave him a barely-there shrug. "Yeah I suppose." She had been wavering on the line of _too much_ space and just enough for the past few weeks. If anything, Prompto and herself had been on the other side of the hanging-out-spectrum due to Noctis' upcoming wedding.

The two eventually dropped their conversation as they slowly sunk into their work pace. And as annoying as it was that Dom had kept on bringing up a conversation, she appreciated the company. They had brief chats in-between completed tasks and in those short moments Evie had found out, unsurprisingly, that Dominic was one hell of a conversationalist. Outside their usual small talk spectrum, it appeared that he had opinions with social issues. Evie had never paid attention to those kinds of things as she thought it would always bring up issues, but Dom always brought them up intelligently.

Evie had listened to his thoughts and agreed or disagreed with them, from the female representation in Insomnia's council to the slightly strained relationship with Niflheim and Insomnia. She couldn't remember a time she had a conversation like this with Prompto. But she was perfectly content with the simplicity of their chocobo and food themed topics.

It wouldn't surprising to expect Dom to be friends with everybody.

"Whether you agree with me or not, you're really fun to talk with." Dominic admitted.

Her eyes nearly exploded out of her head. " _What_?"

"You said you were boring, but you're not that at all. You just gotta get yourself going and you're just as chatty as Lyra."

"Hmpf, is that a compliment or an insult I wonder," she mused.

"Take it as you will. It was a nice change of pace."

* * *

"Dominic thought you were fun to _talk_ with?" Lyra repeated, dramatically slowly, smiling. " _The_ Evie Redlin has been dubbed _fun_."

Evie squinted at her. "I'll have you know Prompto thinks I'm fun."

"Yeah, but now Dom is another person added to the list!"

It was a Saturday, a few days after her talk with Dom. Lyra got back from Lestallum early this morning as she had a cousin of hers take over so she wouldn't get so swamped with missed classes and assignments.

"So how's Cecilia doing?"

"She's doing better. I swear I keep on telling her to ease up on the bounty hunting, but even poison from a midgardsormr doesn't keep her from trying to find the next hunt." That was Lyra's sick cousin. "She was still loopy from all of the potions they gave her but she kept on _insisting_ to get out of bed. She nearly got her leg bitten off, but it's healing nicely―if she stays home."

Evie had to keep a straight face through the entire rant; imagining Prompto happily waltzing into a hunt with his friends against huge ass beasts still didn't sit well.

And forget snakes.

"And congrats on the new job!" Lyra beamed.

"Thanks."

"How did Prompto react when you told him?"

Evie laughed. She remembered when Prompto's eyes lit up as if this was the best news he had heard. He picked her up and spun her around and treated her to a nice dinner downtown. He started going on about all of the imaginative trips they would go on for one of her 'assignments' and again brought up that he should be her photographer. She admitted that the idea was sounding a bit more realistic.

Later that day Evie got a text from Prompto.

' _My girl is sooooooo pretty~'_

His text was lined with heart-eyed emojis along with a picture attached. Of course, it was a picture of her―at the restaurant they went to. Damn his ninja-picture-taking-skills. She stared down at the text with a fond grin.

"He texted you, didn't he?" Lyra asked with a smug grin.

"Oh shut it!" Evie exclaimed, red face admitting everything.

* * *

 **Up next: cute misunderstandings and graduation around the corner (graduation and fun things in chapter 24 technically) Let me know what you thought about this chapter! Again, I'm sorry for disappearing for the entirety of summer- PSST DID YOU GUYS ENJOY THE ASSASSIN CREED DLC I know I did huehuehue. _I'm lame._**

 **-Jen**


	23. Youth

**Hey guys, guess what? I'm alive!**

* * *

Chapter 23

Youth

"Evie! Watch me run to the swings!" Lucas called out.

"Don't trip!" Evie watched as her little nephew zipped to the swings. Lucas launched himself into a swing on his stomach and he roared with laughter as he swung around.

The Insomnian weather had been kind over the past few days. Winter's touch had quickly receded and balmy mid-spring air had thawed out everything. The wind also carried allergies galore, but that didn't deter Lucas: he wanted to go the park, no exceptions.

Evie's sister had asked for her to babysit again and she accepted because she didn't have classes today.

Just as she finally reached the swings, Lucas was sitting properly and was swinging himself. "Can I have ice cream?" He asked.

"Where did you see ice cream?"

"There!" He exclaimed, pointing to an ice cream vendor sitting underneath a tree by a bench. " _Pleeeeeease_?"

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Orange popsicle!"

Evie nodded and fished in her pocket for some spare gil. That's when her phone buzzed.

 _Mannn It's so pretty outside. I'm getting a lot of good shots! Wish you were here tho :(_

 _Ikr? Lucas insisted we go the park today_

She walked up to the vendor, who was a short old man, and got her nephew's request when someone gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She gasped, and spun around to see none other than the sunshine boy himself.

"Prompto?!"

"The one and only!" He sang. He had his camera bag slung over his shoulder with his phone in hand. "You must've read my mind―I was just taking some nature shots a few minutes ago."

"And I thought you'd be out taking pictures of chocobos."

"That would've been a great idea―but I'm short on gil and the guys are at the Citadel."

The two walked away from the vendor to the swings. "I don't think you've met Lucas before."

"Nope."

It looked like Lucas was ready to launch into the sky by the time the two got back. "You ready to fly into space?" Evie joked.

"Look how high I'm going!" He exclaimed, reeling backwards far enough that it looked like he was about to flip backwards.

"'Kay kiddo, I got your popsicle." She said and Lucas immediately started to slow down. "I also want you to meet someone."

The child shoved his foot in the wood chips and shook his shoe out before holding out his hands for the frozen treat.

"Lucas, this is Prompto. Say hi."

Prompto crouched down so he was level with Lucas. "Heya! Your auntie's pretty cute," he grinned and was playfully shoved at by said girl.

"Hi," he said, not giving the blonde a glance until he had the popsicle in his hand. He took a lick and then finally looked up. He paused. "Your hair looks funny."

In that moment Evie could see Prompto's heart breaking. She held back a snort as her boyfriend unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck stiffly. He laughed lightly. "Does it now?" Even with all the teasing from his friends, it seemed like this kid's words cut him cleaner than the daggers in Ignis' collection.

"Lucas―"

"Funny in a cool way!" The younger boy supplied. He looked at his aunt as if seeking approval from her wordless stare. Lucas turned to Prompto again. "Are you playing with us today?"

It was Prompto's turn to look at Evie, in which she shrugged. "I mean, if you want to hang around that's fine. But if you want to keep on going with your photoshoot that's fine too."

"Ey, if the kid wants me to stick around, I'll do it."

* * *

Prompto wasn't joking when he said he'd stick around. In fact, he stuck around _all afternoon_. Lucas had challenged Prompto to multiple races, and Evie watched in delight from a nearby bench as her nephew and boyfriend's energy fly off the walls. At this point she would be drop dead tired, she wondered how in the world Prompto was keeping up with him.

The three went on a walk around the perimeter of the park, which had a large pond with a bride going over it. Evie had to keep Lucas from jumping into the water to scare the ducks while Prompto kept on egging him on. It was like Evie just picked up another kid.

Prompto's initial photoshoot just kept on going, only this time his main subjects were either Lucas, Evie, both, and nature shots. He particularly liked this one shot where Lucas was on the swings and he had his tongue sticking out in a funny way.

They all had lunch together at a café, and while they were sitting out on the patio an older couple walked by.

A woman with graying brown hair commented, "Oh, your son is so cute!"

Her words went over Lucas, since he was buy coloring his placemat with the cheap restaurant crayons. Evie coughed on her drink while Prompto's cheeks went red. "Ah," he waved his hand dismissively, "that's her nephew actually."

"Oh! Excuse me!" She exclaimed, embarrassed. "That would make sense―it's rare to see young couples with children so early."

"Okay, hun, I think you're weirding them out," the husband joked, gently pulling his wife along. "You have a good day!"

"You too," Evie murmured. When it was just them again, Evie and Prompto looked at each other and then at Lucas. They shrugged and continued with their lunch.

The rest of the day went by smoothly until Lucas started to get sleepy. He was starting to rub his eyes and always wanted to be carried. Before when Evie baby sat carrying him was no problem, but now he was getting bigger and _heavier_.

"Here, lemme," Prompto offered gently and picked the small boy in his arms. Evie watched in fascination as the boy put his head against his shoulder and closed his eyes without a fuss.

"Down for the count." She laughed.

"Geeze, what does your sister feed him?" He grunted, readjusting his grip.

"I keep telling her that he's going to be built like a stone wall. Her husband's _tall_. Here, we can take him back to the apartment now. I don't think you'd want to carry him for too long."

"Lead the way, babe."

Evie didn't think Prompto's arms could hold the kid all the way, and by the time they got inside the apartment building's elevator she asked: "Prom, you doing okay?"

"Oh yeah," he breathed, "definitely. Not a problem here. He isn't too heavy," Prompto hefted Lucas higher, resting the child on the blonde's hip and he leaned against the elevator walls. Evie snickered.

The elevator groaned to a halt but they were 4 floors away from reaching their destination. The doors slid open and a young woman walked in with a few small boxes in hand. She pressed her number and the doors dinged shut.

She gave the two a small smile before her eyes stopped on Lucas' sleeping form in Prompto's arms. "Aw, how cute." She commented. "How old is he?"

"Three," Evie supplied.

The girl stared at her wide eyed. " _Really_? I thought he was five!"

"He's heavy enough to be five," Prompto grunted. Evie was about to offer to hold Lucas instead, but the girl spoke up again.

"So when did you three move in here? I'm new here myself."

" _Three_?" Prompto inquired, giving her a funny look.

"Three," she repeated, wary as if she said something wrong, "your wife and kid?"

A pause.

"Oh. _Oh_!" Prompto shook his head, glancing at Evie. "We… we're not married."

"That's my nephew," Evie finished, noting the horrified look on the girl's face. "It's fine, someone just asked us about that earlier today." She laughed.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She turned as red as a beet. "He just looked a lot like both of you―ahh, this is what I get for assuming." The elevator dinged again much to everyone's relief, mostly the girl's in Evie's perspective. The doors slid open and the unknown girl stepped through the threshold. "Well you guys have a good one," she rushed before the doors closed again.

Evie looked at the sleeping boy before looking up at Prompto. He looked like he was trying to remain indifferent, but his cheeks still looked pink. She stood next to him while wearing a small smile. "So… husband, huh?"

"Wh-what?!" He cleared his throat, "I, uh… does he really look like us?" He whispered like it was the world's most important secret.

* * *

Evie fished out her keys and unlocked the door. Immediately she heard barking and she groaned. She must've forgotten to put Duke in Brielle's room before they left for the park.

"He isn't vicious―he's just loud. Just ignore him when we get inside." She explained, eyeing at Lucas stirring in his sleep. Lucas let out a little whine and turned his head so his opposite cheek was resting on Prompto's shoulder. "Damn," she hissed through her teeth.

"After you milady," Prompto said.

Evie cracked the door open only to be greeted with Duke's nose. The dog pushed himself through the crack so the door opened more and he started sniffing at Prompto, tail wagging up a storm. "Duke! Back inside!" She whispered.

Duke's claws clicked against the hardwood as he padded inside, barking once only to be shushed by Evie. Prompto kicked the door closed while Evie rushed in the kitchen to get Duke a snack to distract him. Duke followed in after her eagerly and after a few seconds he was on the floor gnawing at something.

Evie sighed and wiped off the many dog hairs on her jeans and beckoned for Prompto to follow.

Now in Lucas' room, Prompto gently set the boy down on his bed while Evie took off his tiny shoes and jacket. Lucas curled up on his side when she put a blanket on him. Prompto was waiting at the door just as Evie got to her feet.

"Evie," Lucas murmured, spooking both of them. "Forehead kiss," he didn't open his eyes but he was pointing to a spot on his forehead. Evie rolled her eyes and gave him a quick peck.

"Your mom will be here when you wake up." She assured gently.

Lucas snuggled up under the blankets and Evie closed the door as she left. When the door clicked shut both of them let out a relieved sigh. "Astrals, that was the easiest time I put him down for a nap. He usually stalls and asks for snacks before naptime."

"You can thank me," Prompto said, carding his fingers through his hair with a bit of flare, "I wore him out."

"Yes, you did."

He looked at her with a pout and pointed at his forehead to mimic Lucas. "Forehead kiss."

Evie smiled and gave him a chaste kiss on the mouth. "How about that instead?"

"That works too." He laced his fingers with hers to lean in and give her another kiss. Prompto moved to deepen the kiss as he guided her arms to hook around his neck. They were pressed up against each other chest to chest and automatically, Prompto's hands started to trail along her sides.

In regards to _where_ they were making out at, they just kept it at that. Prompto let his hands move around in the safe parameters of her waist, arms, and shoulders. She felt nothing but comfort in his arms, getting a whiff of his scent that had been forever etched in her brain.

After a few minutes he started to kiss along her jaw and pressed slow, open mouthed kisses against her neck. She sighed appreciatively, tilting her head to the side. Evie ran her fingers through his soft hair.

He made a rumbling noise of content and found a spot under her ear to suck and bite at. Evie's eyes lulled closed and she let her head drop a little more. "Prompto," she breathed.

He pressed another kiss on her mouth before stopping. Both of them looked like they ran a marathon. "Astrals, how long has it been since we actually made out?" He laughed breathlessly.

"Probably _too_ long because we're making out in my _sister's apartment_. I rather not have her walk in on us and become a stereotypical babysitter who invites they boyfriend over once the kids are asleep."

He poked her sides making her squeak, "But you _are_."

"I don't want Brielle to know!" She exclaimed.

A low bark came from the hallway, and Evie had to tear her eyes away from Prompto's lips so she could see Duke standing there, staring. It was like he knew what they were doing, eyes silently judging.

"How long until your sister comes back?" Prompto asked, hand not leaving her waist.

"Couple more hours…"

It was then that Prompto adopted this rare smirk, sending a wave of thrill and nervousness down her spine. "That's doable." He grabbed the underside of her legs, hoisting them around his waist and made his way to the kitchen earning protests and giggles from the girl.

The dog just watched them and hopped onto the living room couch, closing his eyes the second he got comfortable.

* * *

Thirty minutes later they were on the balcony, watching the city life below them. Earlier Prompto had the idea of putting Evie on the counter to continue worshipping her through kisses, but the counter was so high that it made Evie taller and it made it harder to kiss her. Evie ended up laughing but rewarded him with a few forehead kisses and a snack from the fridge regardless.

Now Prompto was behind her, arms wrapped securely around her with his chin propped over Evie's shoulder while they both looked down at the camera in her hands. They were going through the infinite loop of his pictures.

"You should seriously start your own studio. I know Lyra would pay big bucks to have her own photoshoot," she half joked about the Lyra part. "You're a great photographer."

He placed a kiss on her shoulder. "Could be a side-job. I'm still with the Crownsguard."

"Oh yeah. Crownsguard." She repeated. "How busy would you be?"

He shrugged. The ends of his hair tickled her neck and she did her best from fidgeting. "Depends. Hopefully I won't be super busy. I still wanna spend time with you," he admitted, nuzzling into her neck. His hair and his words gave Evie butterflies in her stomach.

This whole day with Prompto gave her a… peculiar feeling. Nothing bad per say, but she couldn't figure out what. Maybe it was the few comments of them and their 'kid', and how Lucas magically fell asleep in Prompto's arms. She was suprised Prompto didn't drop the kid on the bed since he had been carrying him for so long.

 _Pfft. Us? Parents?_

She entertained the idea shortly before returning to reality―they were about to graduate, ready to move on to their next chapter, or maybe not so ready.

"So was that your first time dealing with a kid?" She mused.

He pursed his lips and looked around. "If by 'kid' you mean 'dog' then no. They don't seem that much different."

Evie laughed. "You know, I think your right."

Prompto started to sway them side-to-side to a silent song. "So if you had to choose what would you pick: dog or kid―like an actual kid-kid?"

She hissed through her teeth. "Hmm, I already deal with both… can I pick you instead?"

He smiled and kissed her cheek before holding her firmly against him to spin her around. She squealed and held onto him and the camera for dear life. "Ahh! Prompto! No! Stop! I don't wanna drop your camera!"

* * *

 **Good Lord it's almost Christmas. I've been a bad noodle with the updates.**

 **Also, no I haven't looked into Episode Ignis because I don't want the feels―I see screenshots of the angst everywhere on my Tumblr because of that. Maybe later, when this story eases up on the fluff so I don't accidentally project my upset emotions into the specifically fluffy chapters lmao. Happy holidays guys!**

 **-Jen**


End file.
